Travel Industry will reach pre-pandemic levels by 2023 – Part 1
The world has been reeling down under the weight of COVID-19 or the Novel Corona Virus, as businesses struggle to pick up post-outbreak of the deadly pandemic crisis. The travel and hospitality sector by far has been the worst hit sector. Experts opine that for the travel sector to revive its fortunes, it should put technology at the heart of operation. And rightly so, other industry sectors have started innovating in novel ways hitherto never seen. Experimentation at the technological front is already paying rich dividends.
The travel industry devastated by the spiraling effects of COVID-19 will see a revival mode in 2021, and expected to achieve the pre-pandemic crisis level by 2023 with more flights in action.
It is estimated that the travel industry and aviation sector will shrink by 25% and 50% respectively in 2020 to grow steadily by 2021, and hit the pre-crisis level by 2023. The aviation sector worldwide suffered over 20% during the month of May which further declined to 80% in June. Many experts expect world aviation to improve by 30% to 35% in July going by the recent numbers; however, there is a big concern of more than 10 major countries including the US being badly hit.
The US had pumped $50 billion into the global aviation industry, as a bail-out package, while England and Japan had offered about 20% of their GDP. All said and done, India has failed to rise up to its full potential with Air India, one of the major Indian air carriers, facing the heat. So, what is the road ahead? We will continue our discussion in the subsequent blog.
Travel will live on…From the founder’s desk of Emperor Traveline – Part 5
It has been quite an extended series of posts. But I rather enjoy writing these as I strongly believe the travel sector will revive, and, as believed by most travel experts and analysts, in a more explosive way only if the post COVID-19 security measures and protocol are in place. Technology, as we discussed in the previous posts, is the vital cog in the wheel. In the concluding part of the blog series, let me touch upon another important factor that of collaboration.
The travel world is undergoing a sea of changes at the moment and consequently, it has redefined travel space characterized by sustainability, agility and resilience. Collaboration holds the license to the future and rightly so.
The use of digital technology will see new heights than ever before. Next, the development of a cohesive policy and legal regime surrounding the use of digital technologies in place should strike a balance between the protection of civil rights and public health. Finally, the travel ecosystem should ensure the integration of different digital identity solutions. The role played by organizations including International Air Transport Association (IATA), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) will be vital to bring aviation and health priorities, policies and guidelines together. Paper-based passports are still the primary form of identity for travelers. A contactless world would demand the deployment of standardized digital travel credentials and initiatives such as IATA’s ONE ID concept, which espouses biometrics for a seamless journey, must be adapted and accelerated to this novel context.
Ultimately, the pandemic has set off two trends that have been in the offing for some time. One is seamless travel, where the body and face is the passport. The idea of decentralized identity has been floating for a while which allows the individual possess and control identity attributes including the place and date of birth and physical characteristics, in addition to health info, details of travel history, and other data. Pooled together, these trends will ensure travel is efficient, enjoyable and safe.
Travel will live on….From the founder’s desk of Emperor Traveline – Part 4
I am really pumped up this week and all the more excited as the COVID-19 lockdown witnesses’ some form of relaxation in several parts of the country. However, wearing a proper mask, using hand sanitizers regularly and maintaining social distancing at home and office can keep the effects of COVID-19 at bay. There is something interesting coming up on the technology front; this week let us discuss digital traveller and how it can change or perhaps even enhance the travel experience.
Many organisations are well on their way to digital transformation. Businesses in the travel sector should push this harder so as to adapt to the new normal, change customer behaviour and rebuild the trust factor. Built-in digital identification solutions are the future of touchless travel. They also enable organizations to plot multiple data points to efficiently make an individual’s risk profile assessment. If anything, this can improve risk management in real time.
The Word Economics’ Forum Known Traveller Digital Identity initiative is one such initiative to unify a global ecosystem of individuals, authorities, governments, and the travel industry enabling safe and seamless journeys. All the verifiable claims of a traveller’s identity data can be accessed by the ecosystem partners to enhance passenger processing and lower risk. Travellers can customize their own profile, collect digital ‘attestation’ of their ID data, and decide what all is required to be shared.
In a COVID-19 backdrop, a traveller would be able to securely receive and store confidential, verifiable health credentials including immunizations or their health status in their digital identification wallets. This can be integrated with several other trusted, verifiable identification data from private or public entities.
If you think testing and health screening at airports is easy on a wider scale, give it another thought. Under schemes such as Known Traveller Digital Identity, travellers would show consent to sharing their health information and identity before the start of the journey, allowing border officials to carry out the needed risk assessments before the scheduled journey, whilst avoiding queuing and congestion at airports.
Travel will live on….From the founder’s desk of Emperor Traveline – Part 3
Let’s push the limits a bit, precisely what is required if you are part of the wide travel ecosystem to succeed out of the devastating effects of the COVID-19. We have been discussing the impact of technology on the revival of the travel sector in the previous two blogs and we will continue to deal with more technological changes viz. Digital health passports that will turn the tables on in this blog.
Digital health passports:
Health could be embedded in every travel process. A study by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) indicates that the use of masks, visible sanitizing and screening will help enhance passenger’s feeling of safety post-COVID-19.
To date, there is no agreement or standard on the acceptable level of risk for permitting individuals to travel or reopening borders. Until or otherwise any vaccine is developed, the focus will be on shifting to assessing the risk of individual travellers. With the consent of the passengers, airline and travel companies could make use of personal data including underlying health conditions, age and travel history to come up with an individual risk profile.
Efforts to develop heath standards and protocols utilizing digital technology for the travel and tourism industry are still in infancy. Erstwhile, airlines including Emirates have ensured that passengers need to undergo on-site COVID-19 testing. European airports have framed industry guidelines and regulations for passenger health screening.
While not novel a technology, the use of thermal cameras at airports is more prevalent post COVID-19 outbreak. There are many apps built for symptom-tracking and contact-tracing in several countries. Google and Apple are on the verge of finalizing contact-tracing software for developers to put together compatible apps.
New health-screening and tracking tools ensure the safety of passengers. All said and done privacy and data issues too have to be dealt with all the while. Any solution has to be fully transparent and secure if the travellers are to approve them for wider use. Sharing of data on a ‘need to know’ and ‘authorized to know’ basis, with prior consent conforming applicable guidelines and regulations should be in place.
Travel will live on….From the founder’s desk of Emperor Traveline – Part 2
I am more than excited to discuss more on why Travel will live on…and better than ever before. I may sound all optimistic, but that is how Emperor Traveline was able to take on even the roughest of tides smoothly and with a lot of grace. As I am writing this, I am hearing more and more of Touchless travel doing the rounds everywhere from airport curbside to hotel check-in. No matter how strict the cleaning protocol is, touching surfaces and exchanging travel documents through check-in, border enforcement, security, and boarding can still pose infection threat to both the travellers as well as staff.
Automation of the travel sector will know no bounds. That, for me, will be the new normal. Biometrics will play a vital role than ever before in the area of identity verification and their use will ensure fingerprint and hand scanners are the first routine-tests that travellers have to undergo and pass through. Not just these, touchless options will emerge including the likes of contactless fingerprint, in addition to face and iris recognition all serving at the frontline of COVID-19 battle.
The role of touchless data entry solutions such as touchless document scanning, gesture control and voice commands can turn out to be indispensible. Great care must be taken to make sure these technologies are inclusive, and to get rid of the risk of potential biases. From Touchless Entrance Solutions including converting sliding doors to revolving doors, contactless entry, retrofitting air curtains, and integrating external access control system, there are always new ways to invest in innovation to check the spread of COVID-19 and other potential infections in the future, and mitigate health risks involving Corona virus. Other takeaways include lowering building energy waste and costs, and secure and faster access to destination.
Travel will live on….From the founder’s desk of Emperor Traveline – Part 1
I wrote a blog previously on a world without travel, and the response I received from the users made me write a sequel to it. There were many I would call them pessimists during the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown who asked me if the travel industry would ever survive after taking so many punches left, right and centre. I would still say, perhaps even more vociferously than before, that the best is yet to come. Patience holds the key to unlocking the revival of the industry within. Yes, let me repeat, within. What lies ahead lies in how the travel industry will shape itself in the days to come.
Technology, for instance, can play such a huge role in turning the tables on. Now, ask me how. There will be a paradigm shift to touchless or contactless travel and a new health safety regime, backed by digital tools will emerge for the safety of the travelers.
Say even if borders reopen, travelers must have full confidence that boarding a plane is absolutely safe and that they will make it to the destination without any hassle. New health safety protocols aided by innovative system needs to be configured in places, though these are yet to be defined. As governments and industry brace themselves to adapt to this fundamental shift in traveller behaviour, the use of biometric and digital identity technology will prove to be indispensible. Only this can restore and instill a sense of confidence whilst also ensuring travellers experience a seamless journey.
All said and done, effectiveness is felt only if the user data is protected. Privacy, data transparency governance and consent may go a long way in ensuring the digital transformation of travel industry is seamless.
Don’t go away; there is more to come. But that’s for another day. Until then, stay indoors and stay safe.
What are the ways by which the travel sector can revive its prospects post COVID-19 pandemic?
The world has been reeling down under the deadly effects of COVID-19 or Corona virus. Lives lost, hopes shattered, jobs axed and businesses in the doldrums, the world is going through the motions. The travel sector, of all business sectors, has taken the most punches left, right and centre. And it seems as if there will be no respite from it. But there are ways by which travel sector can revive itself and emerge stronger.
The need of the hour is a standard travel policy to facilitate travel by air, sea or road. It is imperative that travellers and tourists follow the guidelines and travel policies religiously to safeguard themselves from the effects of COVID-19 in future. The guidelines must cover social distancing, hygiene and protocol followed in public places such as airports, railway stations, bus stops, travel booking and support centres, etc.
Next comes hygiene, the protocol must stress the importance of hygiene as only proper personal and public hygiene, in addition to cleanliness can keep COVID-19 and other infections at bay. Is wearing a face mask essential at all times? Should travellers carry hand sanitizers with them? What should the COVID-19 travel kit contain? What are the safety and precautionary medical tests that will be in place at public places? What are the medical tests that the traveller has to undergo to ensure travel permit? What are the documents that are required for travel permit from a COVID-19 perspective? Do kids require special permit to travel? If so, what are the regulations that will be in place? These are some of the questions and more that the travel policy should encompass for future travel prospects post COVID-19 crisis.
Finally, what are the safety and hygiene standards to be followed by hotels and restaurants? What are the standards to be adopted by the hotel staff and employees? What are the standards to be followed in the commercial kitchen of hotels and restaurants? Does the hotel or the restaurant need to adopt takeaway as a mandatory feature and more. Online/Mobile booking and digital payment modes must be promoted by the Government for public to stay away from infection.
A world without Travel – From the desk of Emperor Traveline
“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” – Saint Augustine
These lines inspired us to start our travel operations back in 1980, first with domestic travel programme. In the beginning of the 21st century, there was much hype about the phenomenal growth of India’s economic and scientific prowess; thanks to the vision of former President of India and one of the country’s brightest scientific minds, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. The promising hopes of the year 2020 reverberated with the youth of India due to Dr.Kalam tagging it, talking and writing endlessly about it and even publishing a book for the inspired youth. He even envisaged the role of travel and tourism in bringing the world together.
Come 2020, the world is witnessing a world without travel. The international borders have been insulated, people isolated and quarantined, hopes shattered, dreams broken and lives consumed. As the world is gearing itself to adjust to the ‘new’ normal at least for the next six months, it will undergo waves of transformation hitherto never seen.
Travel and tourism is the most affected sector by a long way. Not to mention the education, business and medical sectors which depend on travel for operation and efficiency. For most of us fear will be the single most demotivating factor that can thwart the prospect of travelling as COVID-19 will continue to haunt air travellers especially for a good couple of years from now. How we, as travellers, cope with our unremitting fears and reservations is a challenge within.
With mental health levels of people going from bad to worse during the lock down period, travel is the only known panacea that can alleviate people out of mental issues like depression, anxiety, isolation, loneliness, restlessness and other unwarranted fears due to COVID-19 pandemic.
10 points on how the global Travel & Tourism industry is affected by COVID-19 crisis
1. The World Travel and Tourism Council has warned that the ongoing Corona virus could axe 50 million jobs all over the world in the travel and tourism sector.
2. Of all regions, Asia is likely to be the most affected. Wuhan province in China is believed to be the source of this worst pandemic affecting almost every region of the world.
3. The council has also mentioned that it would take at least 10 months for the travel and tourism industry to recover and revive its prospects.
4. As the tourist industry currently makes for 10% of the global GDP, the COVID-19 pandemic has put 50 million jobs in danger, with travel expected to slump by a quarter later this year. Asia will take a heavy punch due to this slump.
5. Around 8, 50,000 people travel every month from Europe to the US, which pumps in $3.4 billion every month to the US coffers.
6. Of the 50 million job loss estimated, Asia accounts for nearly 30 million jobs lost, Europe 7 million; the US makes for 5 million job loss and the rest in other parts of the world.
7. The slump in global travel in three months is estimated to cause job reduction between 12% and 14%.
8. The council has warned that the restrictions in place in many countries could only make matters worse for travelling medical experts and delivery of medical equipment and essential supplies.
9. The International Air Transport Association has estimated that Airlines’ passenger revenue will fall by $314 billion in total or 55 percent from the previous year.
10. A report by the United Nations’ World Tourism Organization mentions that a total of 217 nations and territories all over the world have imposed stringent travel restrictions to fight the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.
An update from Emperor Traveline on COVID-19
For the first time ever, We, at Emperor Traveline, advises you not to travel! And that’s the biggest irony. And if Government regulations are anything to go, you need to stay safe indoors. We are in the midst of a global crisis owing to the outbreak of COVID-19 or Novel Corona Virus, which has transformed the world, as we are approaching towards a ‘new’ normal. The adverse impacts of the COVID-19 are unprecedented as the world is waking up to the news of rising deaths and increasing number of COVID -19 positive-tested patients every single day.
The business climate is gloomy and the worst is anticipated in the days to come as every Government has imposed nation-wide lockouts in almost every part of the world. Videos surfacing of wild creatures roaming scot free on the roads in many parts of the world are doing the rounds online. Several reports have emerged that mentions the role of the ongoing virus crisis in improving air quality and stalling climate change momentum.
Furthermore, emissions from factories, air pollution due to vehicles, and water pollution caused by irresponsible industries have gone down considerably. We cannot but only concede that every crisis, big or small, presents its own challenges, threats as well as ample opportunities.
The uncertainty of COVID-19 is bewildering, to stay the least. Even more baffling is the fact that there is no proven cure or tested vaccine available to curb the spread of the virus. However, what is more heartening to see is that almost every government has preferred to save precious human lives over the falling economy, which again can put many lives at stake later.
We, at Emperor Traveline, have completely adhered to the guidelines and modalities of the regulations laid down by both the State and Central Government during this crisis. We have also ensured that none of our staff or team member has to undergo financial grind. Let’s all pray sincerely for the safety of the world and for normalcy to restore at the earliest.
