Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

What will travel look like after coronavirus?

What will travel look like after coronavirus?

Coronavirus has devastated the travel industry, but experts believe it will bounce back again. Here are eight things travelers are likely to see once the industry is able to rev its engines in the direction of recovery.

As movement around the world grows more and more restricted, it's hard to imagine what travel will look like when it eventually ramps back up.

The staggering global scale of the coronavirus pandemic makes it especially devastating, but the travel industry has rebounded from past crises and experts believe it will bounce back again.

"People haven't changed in that they still want to go places, but they're going to necessarily be a lot more cautious about what they do," said Adam Blake, a professor of economics and head of research in the Department of Tourism and Hospitality at Bournemouth University in the United Kingdom.

"And they're going to need not just persuading that it is safe to travel, but they'll need to see actual physical changes made to make travel safer."

For now, we don't know when or how the pandemic will pass. But once the public health crisis improves, travelers will also need to see steep drops in prices to get them moving again, analysts say.

Here are eight things travelers are likely to see once the industry is able to rev its engines in the direction of recovery.


Cruises will be very cheap. But it might not matter for newcomers



Travelers who are comfortable with cruising will find very low prices as cruise lines restart service, said Christopher Anderson, professor of business at Cornell University's Hotel School in Ithaca, New York.


The challenge will be in attracting new customers to cruise travel, "which will be essential to survival," he said, after global headlines about coronavirus outbreaks on ships, travel restrictions and denied ports of call.


Anderson suggested that reconfiguring some of the new ships that are still under construction with bigger staterooms and less passenger density might be a way to attract new customers. Reducing buffet food service and leaning more toward a la carte dining across rate tiers might be another way to reassure travelers who are skeptical about cruise travel, he said.


Cleanliness will be addressed - a lot
"Everyone, whether it's cruise, lodging or hotels, are going to have to change how they monitor and clean the environment that consumers interact with and communicate that back to guests in order to increase their comfort level," Anderson said.


Jan Freitag, senior vice president of Lodging Insights for hospitality analysis firm STR, underlined sanitation as well, referencing "new, visible measures" needed to show how clean properties are.


Whether that means hand sanitizers everywhere or regularly disinfecting hard surfaces, "there will be a clearly communicated regimen to let the customers know, 'here's what we're doing to keep you safe,'" Freitag said.

Hotel rates in the US declined by 30% the week of March 21, according to Freitag, and "rates will definitely go down before they come back up."


Historically, in times of great uncertainty such as in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks or after the end of the recession in 2009, it has taken twice as long for room rates to rebound than it did for them to drop to their lowest point, Freitag said.


He doesn't anticipate the collapse of any segments of the US hotel industry, but there will be lodging disruption that in many cases will be invisible to guests. Hotels may change hands behind the scenes but remain operational and under the same brand.


Travelers may feel safer in hotels than vacation rentals
Anderson says one "saving grace" for hotels may be traveler discomfort with alternative lodging options such as Airbnb and other vacation rental sites because those properties may struggle to communicate and standardize rigorous cleaning standards.


"I'm going to want the safety and security of established cleaning protocols that I get from an established lodging provider," Anderson said, so he anticipates a negative impact in the short term for Airbnb-type rentals.

Look for lower airfares and emptier planes
People will be more comfortable traveling by air if planes are less full, says Anderson.


"If we really want to turn this around, airlines have to be flying with empty middle seats and prices dramatically lower than what we had last summer," he said.


Several carriers last week announced plans to eliminate some food and beverage service and middle seat assignments to cut costs and reduce interaction on board.


Anderson sees business travel rebounding first, followed by domestic leisure travel. Trans-oceanic travel is likely to lag, he said.


Business travel may spur recovery for airlines
While many businesses may get more comfortable with conducting meetings virtually, Anderson expects the desire for in-person dealings will help spur airlines' recovery.


"I believe people need interaction, and it is possible a prolonged pause in regular business dealings may jump start air travel as people look to get back to business and create opportunities," he said.


Air travelers will have more booking flexibility - for a while
Anderson expects that airlines -- which extended a series of waivers and flexible rebooking options as the outbreak advanced -- will continue to be less stringent with cancellation and change fees -- for a period of time.


"As we get into 2021, we'll be back to the old way I imagine," he said.


Increased sustainability is a possible windfall
A silver lining for travel in this crisis? The opportunity to address issues that were top-of-mind before coronavirus arrived, said travel broadcaster Peter Greenberg in a recent video.

Overtourism, sustainable travel and the environment were among travel's most talked-about topics before the spread of coronavirus.


"We can get back to this in a much more responsible and ethical way when this crisis ends," Greenberg said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
×