A Year Without Travel — NY Times March 28, 2020
Nearly a year ago, the New York Times stopped publishing their print edition of the Travel section. I’ve been a subscriber in California and Texas for nearly 10 years, in large part, because of the Travel section. The writing is like being there and their relevancy is unparalleled.
So, today, they published a special section, A Year Without Travel. They outlined five key areas:
- The staggering collapse of the travel industry, by the numbers (1 in 10 jobs; in the Maldives, 66% of their GDP; UNWTO $1.3T estimated loss).
- Planning for the return of tourists in Hawaii (my son has visited twice in the last 12 months).
- Seven destinations and a time of struggle (Hoi An, Vietnam; Changi Singapore; St. Croix, USVI; Apollo Bay, Australia; Yellowknife NWT Canada; Skagway, Alaska, US; Paris, France).
- A crash that helped and hurt the planet (climate change, quietness, poaching, over-tourism).
- Workers in the industry. This is the one I want to focus on.
I’ve been part of the travel industry most of my career and there is no other industry I would rather be a part of.
For two reasons:
- Travel changes lives. Moving, business, leisure, personal, transformational. I’ve seen change every time I get on a plane, a train, a bus, check into a hotel, eat at a restaurant, help someone figure out what they want to do next, fulfill a dream, check off something on their bucket list.
- The 1 in 10 global crowd who serve the people in #1. Working in the travel industry is a worthy purpose.
I am blessed to have met and work with the people who work in the travel industry ~ the woman-owned co-op’s in Jordan; the tour guides in Milan, Manila and Mexico City; the transfer people all over the world who safely get me from A to B; the check-in person at The Conrad in Beijing; the train staff of Amtrak, Eurostar, Long-Island RR, the China State Railway Company, Trenitalia (and fifty more); airline workers; the international teams of cruise line employees (we’re rooting for a great come back); car rental teams; the travel tech folks who make it easy for the rest of us to travel; corporate teams; restaurant owners and staff; entertainers… the list goes on.
Below is a list of travel industry segments, many whom I have worked with personally, but each a critical piece of the travel industry.
- Ministries of Tourism
2. Airlines
3. Airports
4. Hotels
5. Home Rental
6. Lodging
7. Cruise
8. Technology
9. Travel Agencies
10. Travel Information
11. Consortia/Co-op
12. Travel Industry Networks
13. Online Travel
14. Tour Operators
15. Destination Marketing Companies
16. Destination Management Companies
17. Convention & Visitors Bureaus
18. Academia
19. Research
20. Bank
21. Merchant Processing
22. Credit Card
23. Global Distribution Systems
24. New Distribution Systems
25. Computer Reservations Systems
26. Car Hire
27. Transfer
28. Bus
29. Insurance
30. Rail
31. Meetings
32. Consulting
33. Industry Information Providers
34. Restaurants
35. Bank Settlement Programs
36. Meetings
37. Incentive & Sales
38. Convention & Exhibition
39. Training
40. Excursion Operators
41. Activities Operators
42. Entertainment
43. Food & Beverage Suppliers
44. Influencers
45. Sustainable
46. Medical
47. Volunteer
To the workers in each segment, I say, “Thank you.”
Jim
P.S. Send me segments which I left out, because I am sure I did.
