November 16, 2020, 9:40 am | Read time: 3 minutes
It will take some time before the coronavirus no longer dominates people’s daily lives worldwide. But there will be a time after the pandemic. Then we can travel again and explore distant countries and cultures. What will travel look like then? TRAVELBOOK inquired.
This year’s “Berlin Travel Festival” was themed “We Love Travel! – A Tourism Recovery Pop-Up.” TRAVELBOOK was also present and moderated a panel. The topic: “After the Corona Crisis – Is Tourism Using the Opportunity for Rethinking?” Guests included the influencers from “Zwei die Reisen,” Lisa Kraft and Maximilian Gierlinger, as well as Aage Dünhaupt, Tui Germany’s head of press. The first question was directed at him: Will flying become more expensive in the future?
The Trend Is Toward “Slow Travel”
“It’s naturally always a matter of supply and demand. Flights will probably become more expensive,” Dünhaupt replied. He suspects that demand will rise again very quickly. “I believe the desire to travel will return faster than the planes will be available,” Dünhaupt continued. Many people are just waiting to finally be able to travel again, to finally be allowed to go out. Dünhaupt: “This desire to travel is somehow already in human DNA.”
What other changes does he expect after the corona crisis? Dünhaupt: “We will definitely see more slow travel in the future.” Party trips were not responsible in 2020 due to the high risk of coronavirus infection, and many organizers removed such trips from their programs. However, it is also clear that after the crisis, people will want to “simply celebrate a bachelor party in Mallorca” again.
In general, he believes that travel will experience a “new appreciation.” “Because you can no longer just hop on a plane and fly somewhere tomorrow.” Dünhaupt even speaks of a “new freedom right” that many will experience, as they will only come to appreciate travel again after the current phase of abstinence.
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“New Appreciation” of Travel After the Pandemic
At the same time, the pandemic has also set positive changes in motion, and some could continue after the pandemic ends. For example, hotel buffets. “There are different possibilities,” Dünhaupt knows. “You stand in front of the buffet, which is behind a glass pane, and point to what you want, which is then served to you. Or with gloves and hand sanitizing, so you can serve yourself.”
It is noticeable that guests serve themselves less food than with self-service. “That means we have less food waste afterward – a positive corona effect,” Dünhaupt said.
Also interesting: The RKI’s Corona Risk Areas
Demand: No More Blanket Travel Warnings
There is, of course, criticism of the previous handling of the pandemic in the travel sector. Dünhaupt believes it is important for politics to move toward “regionalization” in the future: “If the Canary Islands are safe, then there is no reason to issue a travel warning.”
There should be a closer look at the actual corona cases on-site in the regions and how great the risk of infection is. Only then should it be decided whether it is a risk area or not. This way, entire countries, states, or regions should not simply be given blanket travel warnings in the future.