I may covet a closet filled with Prada and LV, but what I want IMMEDIATELY is the opportunity to safely travel outside my Zip Code. As I listen to MSNBC, FOX and CNN, I am warned of COVID variants, the emerging need for booster shots, the increased number of people getting sick and death lurking […]
Airplanes: Part of the COVID-19 Problem
Since the beginning of COVID-19, many people have stopped flying! Why? The reasons are multiple and complex. Business travel has declined thanks to Zoom and other remote meeting options. International restrictions on American passports has put a crimp in leisure travel, and 24/7 media coverage of the virus and its spread has convinced us that the […]
Cruise Industry Flunks Safety Tests
Seasick A recent study of the global cruise industry and tourism crises revealed a systematic failure within the industry to understand the COVID-19 pandemic. Up to (and including) 2019, the cruise lines were the fastest growing sector in the tourism industry. In 2018, the total economic contribution (direct, indirect, and induced) of cruise tourism to […]
Sea Sick: Is Cruising Still a Happy Business?
The cruise industry before COVID-19 generated $134 billion in travel and tourism revenue prompting the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) to paint a rosy future. This was before COVID-19. Before COVID-19, almost 351 million posts with the tag #travel on Instagram were generated by happy voyagers. Passengers supported the wellness programs including oxygen bars, healthy […]
Will meetings return? Can hotels really open safely?… Or should we stay home?
Tourism Encounters a New Paradigm Up to, and including the beginning of 2020, many professionals in the hotel, travel, and tourism industry would have agreed that “bigger is better.” Demand created a need to build larger cruise ships, more and differentiated hotels, additional stadiums and convention centers, faster and bigger aircraft. There appeared to be […]
If Living is a Priority, Should You Cruise?
Although it is hard for me to believe, each and every year approximately 30 million people spend time and a great deal of money ($150 billion yearly) on cruise ships, although it creates the perfect environment for the spread of infectious diseases. Empowerment Cruise ships bring large numbers of people together in crowded, relatively small […]