The global pandemic that we’re currently experiencing in all corners of the world has stopped humanity in its tracks, upending and disrupting practically every industry, most notably, the travel and hospitality sector. Massive lay offs, decreased bookings, disrupted supply chains, closed hotels, empty airplanes are just a few of the devastating effects we’ve seen so far. But how we travel also will likely change drastically, both in the short-term and long-term, after the world starts to slowly open its doors again.
As both a business and leisure traveler of 20+ years, I’ve jotted down a few of my early predictions on what travel will look like in the aftermath of our stay-at-home orders. No one has a crystal ball so only time will tell how these changes will pan out.
- Visas may not be enough to enter a country. Once the travel bans and restrictions are lifted, in addition to the necessary visas, you may need to provide proof of vaccinations or certificates of immunity to enter a country. Also, I can see countries that were once visa-free travel zones, particularly for U.S. passport holders, may start to require visas, limiting mobility across the world.
- The customs and immigration lines may take longer than usual. To prevent new possible infections from entering the country, in addition to checking your documents, immigration officials may check your temperatures, conduct swab testing, order forced quarantines, etc. This may raise its own set of privacy concerns, but it’s TBD on what that will look like.
Read the entire article here.