The year of 2020 has been filled with tragedy and triumph for all of us. COVID-19 has turned our world upside-down, changing how we live from day-to-day. Along with that, the way we work; the way we travel, gather, and even eat out has been radically affected.
With over one million people infected with the virus and over 250,000 deaths, we’ve traded our love for travel with the need to survive this pandemic.
Mask-wearing is now de rigueur along with social distancing being quickly and deeply ingrained in our collective conscience. Some have resisted these inconveniences and others have been slow to adapt; however, as the pandemic becomes more real in peoples’ lives due to becoming sick or knowing others who have had COVID or died from it, more people are getting onboard with the precautions.
The hardest part has been hanging on to hope for an end to this. It’s hard to have hope with record infections daily and deaths hitting too close to home.
In the travel sphere, airlines, resorts, hotels, and other facets of travel and tourism have adopted practices designed to protect our health and safety. Cruise lines have borne the brunt of responsibility due to the outbreaks that occurred leaving passengers stranded aboard ships that could not dock because governments refused to allow the vessels to dock. The cruise industry has adopted stringent health protocols designed to protect passengers; they have also retrofitted ships with ventilation systems designed to provide fresh air for passengers and crew breathe.
And we are finally seeing some faint light at the end of this dark, mysterious tunnel as vaccines are approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
It’s easy for people to feel like guinea pigs in this era of rapid “Warp Speed” development of treatments for COVID, but thankfully they exist.
From the trial cruises in Italy and other parts of Europe to the expiration of the CDC No-Sail Order to the cruises-to-nowhere in Asia to 200,000 people signing up for Royal Caribbean’s trial cruises, we’ve seen signs of hope for the cruise and travel industry. There are still cancellations being made, but at the same time there are ships bring brought back to US ports and crew arriving in preparation for a return to service. The year of 2020 has been a tough one for sure.
A definitive end might not be realistic, but a gradual return to some form of normalcy seems more likely.
Kids returning to school for in-person learning and activities
Colleges and universities welcoming students back
Offices and workplaces slowly bringing some workers back
Being able to enjoy a night out
Families gathering during the holidays
The travel industry looks forward to happier times, satisfied clients, and – yes, profitable business.
In addition to the test cruises, cruise lines are reporting strong bookings for 2021 and beyond
Cruise lines are streamlining check-in processes and muster drills
Many new protocols will protect passengers and save time
The previous points point to an increase in air travel
Let’s look forward to 2021 together; there’s always hope for tomorrow.
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Image by Bernard Wille from Pixabay
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