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."
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate what's expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.
Chipmaker Nvidia is poised to release a quarterly report that could provide a better sense of whether the stock market has been riding an overhyped artificial intelligence bubble or is being propelled by a technological boom that’s still gathering momentum.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.
