5 changes that could happen to your travel life Post-Covid
The Corona Virus pandemic has altered a whole lot of things across many industries all over the world and the truth is many of these abrupt changes are here to stay. Among the many industries that were hit is the travel industry that has lost billions of dollars in revenue since many countries started adopting the lockdown strategy to curb the spread of the virus.
It is projected that ticket bookings have declined by about 95%, while many airlines have gone bankrupt, many travel companies are massively laying of their workers and hotels are also doing the same.
There is very little assurance that things might go back to normal, or perhaps, we should expect a new normal. But irrespective of the outcomes, here are 5 changes that could happen to your travel life after the pandemic.
1. Reduction of queues at immigration points
With what is seen going on in countries like China, Singapore, and South Korea, these countries are doing everything to curb new cases especially from outside the country. Many countries are ordering visiting persons to isolate for two weeks even if they tested negative for the virus before coming into the country.
We should expect a point of entry Covid-19 test, a shorter queue, and prepare for a longer waiting period as we take a swab test while waiting for the result.
2. More travel documents and medical reports
I doubt if any country would want to take the risk of allowing anyone to come into their country from an outbreak hotspot without serious scrutiny. Travelers would probably be instructed to present more than just passports at the airport. We might begin to hold certificates of immunity or even wristbands with barcodes like those we saw on the movie Contagion.
There will be serious policies on travel purposes as many countries will do more validations on the purpose of travel to cut down the number of travelers coming into the country.
3. Different Packing policy
As a traveler, you wouldn’t take the chances of sitting on the plane without properly wiping the seats and handles close to you. As funny as this seems, we just might have to adapt to this normal lifestyle of cleanliness and hygiene. Your travel bag will have more items like sanitizers, hand gloves, nose masks, and even a set of wet-wipes.
4. You’ll tick more boxes in your papers
In the near past, we are used to airplane bookings with tens of add-ons like car rentals and so on, and the truth is we do skip past most of these options.
Now, we surely would not skip pass the flight insurance box as we would be more mindful of what every of the insurance package covers for our flight. The airline and insurance companies would have to come up with new ways to serve travelers with the best of offers just to stay in business and possibly be the best airline with the best offer.
5. Social stigma will increase
The social acceptance of people with sickness will change so dramatically that you won’t want to travel if you have a common cold. No one would want to sit beside you on the plane if you show signs of sneezing, flu, or even malaria. The social distancing concept and acceptance will alter conversations and relationships you will have with other travelers.
The social stigma will affect many travelers’ psychology and confidence and this will hugely affect the travel company’s revenues.
These changes are most expected and you have to be prepared as much as we are also prepared in communicating the expected changes to you in the most effective way.
May we all be great Post-Covid!
