It breaks my heart to see the hospitality and travel industry go bust due to the pandemic that we are undergoing. When my daughter wanted to pick a stream to major in, I told her to opt for the hotel industry, based on the premise that people will always travel and no matter what, and they will always want to eat out.
Like everything else, these two industries seem to be the most affected, due to the travel restriction in place. Some of the countries are insisting on a mandatory 7-day quarantine for the passengers, before they are allowed to travel into the city.
Until a vaccine comes through soon, we all will have to learn to live with COVID 19. However, it’s reassuring to see how Emirates has started commercial operations of their flights and hopefully the future of the travel industry is not so bleak as it currently seems to be.
Tokyo Calling
Most counties are heavily entrenched in tourism as a source of revenue and Japan is one such country. Not many of you may know this, but one of DL Mag’s co-founders lives in Nagoya, Japan. And according to him, the citizens of Japan are very particular in following the protocols that the government has laid, and perhaps this is why they are re-thinking their strategy to welcome tourists.
Beaconing you to consider the alluring cherry blossoms and hot springs, the government is setting aside a whopping USD$12.5 billion into funding a part of your travel expenses, should you decide to visit the country.
With the offer to pay for a portion of your travel experiences when you visit them, Japan is hoping to reignite the passion for exploring the land of the rising sun, mainly because the country has implemented steps to contain the virus.
Destination Sicily Up Next
If you have had enough of Japan, then maybe you want to consider Sicily. They have suffered €1 billion in tourism-related revenue loss, ever since Italy shut down in March. It is natural that travelers are going to be weary of Italy. Lockdown aside, many even fear for their jobs being secure.
The island authorities have indicated deep discounts on flights and hotel stays along with free tickets to the museums and archaeological sites in Sicily. The subsidies and freebies will cost island €50 million at a micro level. However, in the grand scheme of things, they hope to make up for the loss when tourists come strolling through after the lockdown.
Ciao for now!