In conversation with experienced travel editor and writer, Claudia Laroye, on the new modern world of travel.

1. Which one aspect of the travel industry will see the longest-lasting repercussions of the global health pandemic?
I believe that the biggest and longest-lasting aspect will be the reckoning over the lack of sustainability of many segments of the travel industry – from financial to ecological sustainability.

The travel industry is going to go through some severe shrinkage, of size, of capacity, of operators. Not every hotel, tour operator, travel agency or airline will survive, and the repercussions of such an industry contraction will be enormous, and may include higher prices, less choice, and narrower opportunities for employment. I believe the repercussions will be significant but remain hopeful that a new and more sustainable travel industry will emerge, one that encourages quality over quantity.

2. The cruise industry is in stormy waters - is there a future for them in tomorrow's world?
There will be a future for cruising. But much will depend on the timeline of a vaccine, and what cruise lines have the deepest pockets to survive in the near term. The cruise industry already had long-standing issues with disease transmission i.e. flus, norovirus, despite their admirable efforts (sanitizer stations throughout the ship) to promote health and prevent disease spread on-board ships. Tightly packed ships with long buffet lines and shared everything do not promote physical distancing and necessary hygiene. I imagine that companies are looking closely at changing many on-board practices.

That said, cruises remain very affordable forms of mass tourism, especially appealing for those located near cruise ports and terminals, and those destinations dependent upon cruise passengers i.e. Caribbean. Whether they remain so cheap will have to be seen. In the near term, pre-vaccine, we may see industry, passengers and destinations conducting a cost-benefit analysis of whether it will be worth the money, and the health of passengers and staff (on ship and in port), to resume operations. 

3. As an experienced and frequent airline traveller, what do you see the future of air travel as?
It is survival of the fittest, and those airlines who are most successful in obtaining government money will stay afloat. Not all airlines will survive the pandemic. This will impact choice and competition. Which in turn may put pressure on prices to be higher, as airlines can charge more with less competition. Operations and costs will also be impacted by the new regulations and health standards that will be necessary to mitigate the virus and assure the flying public.

Airlines will have to put as much effort into ensuring that the interior of their planes are as safe and sound as the mechanics of the planes themselves. Attention to interior cabin health quality hasn’t been in effect for a long, long time. This must change if airlines want to see people flying again, before a vaccine and herd immunity exists.

4. Financially, the majority of the world has been negatively impacted by COVID-19 and the road to recovery will be a marathon. Do you think people will still want to travel during the recovery period?
From what I’ve heard and read, people do want to travel, if they have financial security and can afford it. Travel writers may still want to jump on a plane as if it were yesterday, but the majority of the public appears happy to stay close to home, camp, staycation, visit national parks in their own province/state/country. At least for 2020.

Into 2021 and beyond, much will depend again, on the vaccine availability and rollout. When it’s safe to go beyond our borders, people will be willing to do so.

5. Will there be an increased interest in local travel as we ease into a new world?
Absolutely. We see it already in terms of people’s expressed desire to stick closer to home and “discover their own backyards.” People are dreaming of going beyond, but unsure whether it will be possible (border closures), possible (financially) or safe (health-wise).

This should help local travel industry operators, hotels and restaurants who have suffered greatly. They will need the local market as international travelers will likely not return until 2021.

For example, this summer’s Alaska cruise season outbound from Vancouver is in doubt for many cruise lines. Cunard has cancelled its 2020 season completely, while others keep pushing potential opening dates.

6. Will "influencers" see tomorrow's world?
For those influencers who can afford to stay in the game, yes.

7. How have you specifically been impacted by this?
My freelance travel writing work and income have dried up. Editors are holding off accepting pitches, and publications are folding. It’s a terrible state of affairs. Similar to other colleagues in the travel sphere, visits to my blog site are down 75%, impacting advertising income.

8. Which do you think will be more popular going forward; local travel, provincial travel, or national travel?
In the short term, local travel will be very popular. Think ‘100 Mile Trips’ or some such travel style. As outlying towns and cities open up and welcome visitors back (i.e. Tofino, Banff, Niagara on the Lake), then people will be eager to go further in-province and return to favorite spots, providing that hotels and restaurants are ready and able to accommodate them.

In the near-term, the creation of “Travel Bubbles” may allow for travel within a specific, virus-free bubble space. How this would work on a national level in Canada is yet unclear, but Australia and New Zealand have discussed such a concept, as have the PNW states in the US.

The NY Times has reported that Key West is strictly enforcing entry via checkpoints into the island chain. They have their key industry sectors onside with this approach for now, but it will be interesting to see how long this can be sustained, given the pressures to ‘get back to business’ in many American states.

9. Will we see the return in popularity of road trips?
I think road trips are going to be very popular once again. The open road has never been so appealing, and gas hasn’t been this cheap in decades. Travellers feel safe and in control in their own vehicles. The key to planning road trips for summer 2020 will be which destinations, hotels and services will be open to cater to those road trippers along the way.

10. How severely will international travel suffer because of this? 
It’s going to take a few years for international travel to bounce back to pre-pandemic numbers. Health security will be top of mind for many travellers, but there will be those who just have to get away to Mexico or the Bahamas. The former is hoping to resume inbound travel from Canada as of June 1st, so we’ll see how quickly their industry bounces back, and what the travelling public’s appetite to fly again will be.

As I noted above, the Travel Bubble concept may allow for more fluid international travel in the near-term for those jurisdictions keen to keep out the virus if they’ve eradicated it on their shores, i.e. New Zealand.

Personally speaking, we’ve cancelled our international travel plans for this summer and are hoping to rebook for 2021 for a family reunion in Europe. But much will depend on how things progress over the next year.

11. As a travel writer, will this change the types of destinations you visit and medium you take to get there?Yes, I will look more critically at destinations and how they’ve managed the pandemic in their countries. I feel that I can keep myself safe and healthy on an airline, I was always wiping down surfaces in my zone. Wearing a mask now will be the new twist. However, there are many other variables to consider on trips, such as transportation, hotels, restaurants, and attractions.

Will we see a grading system put in place to assist travelers (including travel writers) to discern the sanitation, health and safety procedures of an airline or hotel, for example? I think we will see that, as travellers will demand it as the new normal. We were always joking about how often TV remotes were cleaned, but in these times, a detailed accounting of health procedures will supercede the allure of thread counts.

12. What positives can come out of this for the travel industry?
Well, the positives of going the extra mile to ensure the health and safety of passengers and clients will be a good thing. This is an excellent time to reflect on how the travel industry operates, and what practices are sustainable, both economically and ecologically. I’m searching for and promoting work that advocates for meaningful change in the travel sphere. For a paradigm shift.

I know it’s anathema to say it, but let’s do less. Less travel, less consumption, less crowding, less waste, less mass market. And let’s put more emphasis on quality of time, quality of destination, quality of the environment. Let’s not return to the way things were.

In practical terms, this may translate into an industry emphasis on local and hyper-local markets. Easier to do in places like Canada perhaps, but much more difficult for destinations like Thailand or the Caribbean, places built by and dependent on inbound travel.

Speaking of the Caribbean, I visited the Bahamas in January, before The World Changed. It’s a beautiful place filled with lovely, warm people. While chatting with friendly locals, I learned that a large new tourism complex was being built entirely by 4,000 guest workers from China, rather than local workers. It’s not as if Bahamians couldn’t do the work – local labour built the massive Atlantis complex in the 1990s – they weren’t given the opportunity. Changing the way we do travel business is not about nativisim, it’s about tourism serving and benefitting the local community in a true and holistic way. About local governments looking at this as a prime motivator for tourism investment for the future.

I was inspired by this recent article by Andrew Evans. In it, he notes that this crisis is an opportunity to get away from the commodification of the travel experience, away from ‘bigger is better’ and to push for a move towards better global standards to ensure truly locally-serving and sustainable travel experiences.

13. What's the first place you'll visit once we're past this?
Beautiful British Columbia! Either Parksville or Tofino on Vancouver Island. I really want to be immersed in the outdoors, either in the mountains or by the sea.

14. Will travel agents/agencies see tomorrow's world?
I think so, for those agents and agencies that can weather the storm and rise to the challenge of providing expert and trusted advice on how and where to travel safely. There will be a market for such expertise to navigate the near-term uncertain travelscape.

15. With many of us having been at home for the past several weeks, many of us have learned/enhanced our digital skills. Will there be an influx of available travel writers/photographers/ videographers in the new world?
Maybe. For those who’ve had the time, motivation and ability to hone their skills, it’s very possible. I’ll still be here because I’ve been doing just that, and my financial situation permits it. I have that privilege. Others do not, so they may not last through this industry downturn as a result. It’s heartbreaking.

The better question is; who will be left – publications, brands, businesses - to hire us and pay for our skills and services?

Claudia Laroye is a freelance writer and editor living in Vancouver, British Columbia. She writes about adventure, family, luxury and sustainable travel for a variety of online and print publications around the world, including; Lonely Planet, Explore, Canadian Traveller, Fodor’s, Matador, WestJet Magazine, and Vacay Canada. Claudia loves all form of active adventures and when home, enjoys walking her dog and sipping pineapple margaritas in her backyard garden.
Connect with her here.