The coronavirus pandemic forced many Americans to cancel their spring travel plans, but according to a new poll from YouGov 13 percent of Americans will be ready to hit the road even before lockdown restrictions are lifted.
Gloria Guevara, World Travel and Tourism Council CEO and president, told Cheddar on Tuesday that travel-related businesses are very eager for people to start taking trips again, however, opening the industry will need to be done in a coordinated way. She said the public and private sectors will need to have a good understanding of when and how businesses will reopen and customers will need to be assured that travel is okay.
Decisions by lawmakers will be at the heart of the recovery, said Guevara.
"Everything is going to be depending on the actions and the decisions made by governments" now and next summer, she noted.
The pandemic isn't the first roadblock the travel industry has faced in recent years. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Guevara said that leaders were not working together, which ultimately made the recovery longer and created uncertainty.
"[After] 9/11 we didn't have a coordinated approach. Every government implemented their own measures. It was not in coordination with the private sector," said Guevara. She noted that even in 2020, different countries still have their own safety protocols.
The World Travel and Tourism Council is working with more than 150 governments around the world, perhaps most importantly with the G-20, Guevara said, to create a list of protocols for businesses to follow to allow travelers to feel safe and to ensure that there is no confusion.
"These protocols are defined by the industry. Today, for instance, we are releasing the hospitality protocols and outdoor shopping [protocols], based on the experience we already have. In a couple of weeks we are working with the airlines," she said. "So, the next time you fly, if they tell you that you need to wear a mask, it's on all the flights."
Nvidia on Wednesday became the first public company to reach a market capitalization of $5 trillion. The ravenous appetite for the Silicon Valley company’s chips is the main reason that the company’s stock price has increased so rapidly since early 2023.
Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at S&P Global, breaks down September’s CPI print and inflation trends, explaining what it means for markets.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
