What Travel Changes and Rules Will Become Permanent?
What Travel Changes and Rules Will Become Permanent?
The pandemic has caused a long pause in corporate travel. Now as domestic and international business travel is set to resume, there are many new travel protocols. These new changes in the travel industry have changed the way we travel forever.
Travel Changes and Rules That Will Become Permanent
New Health Changes and Rules
Going forward, it will be all about the traveler’s health. In the future, before a trip, a traveler will have to be up-to-date on travel protocols and hygiene. Travelers will have to check on COVID-testing requirements, possible quarantines, and vaccine and /or mask mandates.
A Contact-Free World
Pre-pandemic, contact-free measures were already in place for convenience’s sake. Now the various kiosks, credit card readers, paperless booking, and self-check-in services are here to stay.
Travel Insurance Will Be Mandatory
Post-pandemic, many countries are requiring travel insurance to visit. For example, in Thailand, $100,000 in medical coverage is required to enter the country. In the future, travelers will also need to educate themselves on all aspects of what the insurance will cover during their trip.
Contact Tracing Will Be the Norm
Contact tracing is going to become a travel standard. This is where smartphone applications are used to detect your proximity to infected persons. One wrinkle in this may be privacy issues regarding travelers and their health. As contact tracing becomes more prevalent, health officials will need to address these concerns.
Changes in Business Travel
Zoom made bank in earnings in 2020. Because of the coronavirus lockdowns, most of the workforce worked from home and conducted virtual meetings. Some experts believe that business travel will never return to the pre-pandemic levels it once was. This is a result of companies realizing that employees are just as productive online as they were in the office.
Alternative Lodging Options
The traditional business hotel is not dead, it is just getting major competition post-pandemic. The trend is a shift to rental properties and other nontraditional lodgings. These lodging alternatives offer the social distancing opportunities that you cannot get in the big, fancy hotels. Now travelers want to stay in private villas or smaller boutique hotels that are more private and have limited interactions with other guests.
Higher Costs in All Travel Sectors
Prepare for a harder hit to your wallet on your next trip—and every trip in the foreseeable future. The pandemic eliminated cheap airfares, travel discounts, and last-minute getaways. The cost of international trips has gone up 18 percent, and domestic trip costs have risen 27 percent in the wake of the pandemic.
Trip planning will also start much sooner than before. Consumers are planning their trips and making reservations an average of 50 percent and 19 percent further out than last year for international and domestic trips, respectively.
Traveler’s Q can be your travel advisor and help you understand these new travel changes and rules. Contact us today to get started on your group travel management plan.
