The Coronavirus pandemic has impacted all of us. For both our personal and professional lives, 2020 has upended what many of us consider normal.
When I launched a travel blog focused on honeymoons at the end of last year, I never expected that global travel would come to a grinding halt this year. Over 95% of couples have rescheduled or cancelled their weddings and honeymoons this year. The U.S. Travel Association by Tourism Economics estimates that global travel will not fully recover until 2024. Our blog is monetized though affiliate marketing, which has been directly impacted by the decrease in honeymoon bookings.
Despite the decline in business and uphill battle ahead, there have been some lessons that I have learned over the past six months. I am here to share them with you so that we can move through this pandemic together with positivity.
1. Future Activities Won’t Be Taken for Granted
Honeymoons used to be taken for granted. If you desired and were lucky enough to be able to travel to a tropical paradise or a mountain-top resort, you could do that after your wedding.
But now after spending months inside, a trip to a tropical island with a fruity drink in hand seems like a true paradise.
When we return to normal, there will be a newfound appreciation of the “little things.” Flying on an airplane, going out to dinner, not wearing a mask all of the time – these things will all be appreciated on a whole new level once the pandemic is behind us.
2. Safety Has Been Elevated To A Top Priority
Working in the travel industry has provided insight into the lengths that airlines and hotels are going to in order to reopen their services.
For example, many of our customers choose a Sandals resort for a honeymoon. Sandals has made extreme efforts to reopen their resorts and gone to extreme lengths to safeguard the health of their employees and guests. In each of the countries that they have a resort, they are working with the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and the local Ministries of Health. They have dedicated Quality Inspection Teams and environmental health and safety managers at all of their resorts. The resorts have been equipped with full-service medical stations staffed daily with a registered nurse and 24/7 on-call medical personnel.
Once the pandemic is behind us, many of the safety procedures that are being implemented will be here to stay. Traveling will be safer when this is all over, which is fantastic.
3. Challenges Lead to Growth
From a business perspective, the pandemic has been the ultimate challenge for the travel industry.
Airlines and hotels have had to streamline their businesses and prepare for the new normal. Running a travel blog has forced us to do the same. We have had to evaluate our core business, offer exceptional customer service, and improve on the most vulnerable parts of our business. We have gone from working in an office to working from home, which has made us adopt wfh best practices.
After the pandemic, I am confident that our business and the way our team works together will be stronger.
In conclusion, while the pandemic has been an unexpected and unprecedented challenge for the travel industry, there is light at the end of the tunnel. When we return to the new normal, people will be more appreciative of the little things, the world will be safer, and we will be stronger people.