coronavirus
Tourism Outlook: A New Spring in Its Step?
STR | April 6, 2022
Global tourism receipts were well below the pre-pandemic level in 2021 as travel restrictions and uncertainty persisted, and changing consumer behavior dented economic recovery. But now, in the spring of 2022, some two years since COVID-19 forced governments to impose lockdowns and severe travel restrictions, there are plenty of signs of optimism for the future of tourism. This is true even with potential macroeconomic and geopolitical headwinds. STR has evaluated consumer views and behaviors throughout the pandemic, and our latest survey, conducted in February 2022, canvassed opinion from a global audience to gauge sentiment and the out...
U.S. Travel Calls on New White House COVID Response Coordinator to Phase Out Pandemic-Era Restrictions
U.S. Travel Association | March 24, 2022
WASHINGTON — March 24, 2022 — The U.S. Travel Association renewed its call in a new letter to incoming White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha to replace pandemic-era travel advisories, requirements and restrictions with endemic-focused policies that will enable travel to resume fully and freely. In recent weeks, the British and Canadian governments have taken similar actions to ease remaining restrictions on travelers. The letter to Dr. Jha notes that, despite declining hospitalizations and infections, increased vaccination rates and immunity, and a more robust public health infrastructure to manage the virus, th...
AHLA Statement Regarding Omnibus Funding Package
AHLA | March 14, 2022
WASHINGTON – March 14, 2022 –Following Senate and House passage of a $1.5 trillion government-funding package, AHLA President & CEO Chip Rogers released the below statement. “While we are disappointed this package does not include the targeted COVID-19 relief hotel employees and small businesses have needed since the early stages of the pandemic, the bill contains a number of victories for hoteliers. The legislation secures $50 million for Brand USA – a vital public-private partnership dedicated to increasing international tourism to America, driving the nation’s economy and our industry. In addition, the bill would giv...
With New CDC Guidance, Travel, Aviation, Business Groups Urge Biden Admin to Lift COVID Travel Restrictions
U.S. Travel Association | February 28, 2022
WASHINGTON — February 28, 2022 — With new guidance issued Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that relaxes many COVID-era policies—including indoor mask wearing—the U.S. Travel Association, the American Hotel and Lodging Association, Airlines for America and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are appealing to White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeffrey Zients in a letter that urges the Biden administration to replace pandemic-era travel advisories, requirements and restrictions with endemic-focused policies that enable travel to resume fully and safely and the American economy to accelerate its recovery. The...
COVID-19’s Impact on the Silicon Valley Lodging Market
John Berean | February 23, 2022
By John Berean, Noella Moon One of the main economic engines of the San Francisco Bay Area, Silicon Valley experienced tremendous growth during the last business cycle. Major companies such as Google, Apple, and Meta (formerly Facebook) have expanded their presence in recent years, which has historically translated to strong lodging performance. However, with the onset of the pandemic and a market-wide shift in policy toward remote working in 2020, hotels have been severely affected, particularly in terms of average rate. Moreover, the influx of new supply over the last several years has been significant, which has substantially heig...
How Will Hospitality Emerge From the Pandemic? Findings From EHL Research Day
Andrew Brenner | February 21, 2022
EHL Hospitality Business School entitled their research day “Navigating the Covid Storm”, where the future of the hospitality industry was discussed by EHL faculty members. The afternoon’s insights reflect the diversity of subjects investigated by EHL researchers and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the hospitality industry. “Welcome back to the new abnormal, how may I help you?” By Andrew Brenner Small, family-owned firms fared well Sifting through the winners and losers of the pandemic, Dr. Cédric Poretti, Assistant Professor of accounting, found that when a family owns 20% or more ...
It’s 2022, but the Same Problems Persist for Hotels
HotStats | January 13, 2022
If you thought 2021 was topsy-turvy, wait until you see 2022. Though the calendar has changed, the world remains saddled with many of the same issues faced last year. And now, with the advent of the Omicron strain, which some experts predict will infect everyone, the scenario is becoming clearer by the day: things have a way to go before we are back to business as usual. This virus is not done yet and it is causing a migraine for the global hotel industry, from a demand perspective, labor, expenses and a host of other variables. It’s all causing confusion and angst for some industry insiders, but other hotel prognosticators reading t...
Making Tourism Stronger and Ready for the Future
UNWTO | January 4, 2022
Working together Over the past year, much progress has been made in rolling out vaccinations and in both detecting and treating COVID-19. We have also seen significant progress made in finding the right balance between keeping people safe and keeping the vital lifeline of tourism intact, as illustrated by UNWTO’s effective collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) since the very start of the pandemic. A collaborative and multilateral approach is and must remain at the centre of capitalizing on the lessons we have learned in such a short space of time. Ensuring harmonized travel protocols has been our message since day ...
