The pandemic has been pounding its way through the travel industry; the negative results grow day by day. After lengthy careers in the travel industry, dozens of my friends, colleagues, and associates feel the hurt and loss of their jobs and careers. No sector is immune.
Cruise lines are selling ships, many of which are heading to scrap yards; these are beautiful, legacy ships that have carried many thousands of passengers safely and comfortably.
The car rental industry may never be the same; they are shedding vehicles at bargain-basement prices to stave off bankruptcy.
Hotels are all hurting, occupancy is down, future bookings in free-fall, and properties are closing rapidly. Employees have been on furloughs, which in many cases, turned into permanent job loss. When corporations and groups don’t travel, hotels die.
Lastly, travel agents and agencies are scraping along. Mergers, acquisitions, and reductions in service and staffing may ensure that they’ll never return to the pre-pandemic level.
I feel their pain. It’s unlikely my own small business will recover; I’ll be just one more pandemic business-related fatality.
Are we there yet? 