As someone who tries to look at the bright side of life, I am convinced that there will be several positive outcomes from this virus scare that has left the entire travel industry reeling.
Already, in Singapore, one of the first countries to be hit, I sense a return to some form of normalcy. There are fewer people wearing masks because the government has said that you don’t have to unless you are sick. Temperatures are being taken almost everywhere – yesterday I had my forehead checked at least five times. It was lovely to walk into the Sheraton Towers whose staff were friendly and welcoming, and see the lobby scattered with guests having meetings as usual.
Yes, cancellations for events and group bookings are coming in the droves, but I asked the Singapore Tourism Board for the events that are still going ahead for February as of today. They are:
- Global Science and Technology Conference (5-7 February)
- VISION2020 Asia Pacific (5-6 February)
- Singapore Airshow (11-16 February)
- CAREhab 2020 (14-15 February)*
- Aviation Festival Asia (18-19 February)
- EmTech Asia 2020 (25-26 February)
Keith Tan, CEO of the Singapore Tourism Board, has sent a letter out to all partners, giving an update and detailing the measures Singapore has taken. “The single biggest impact has been the near-complete evaporation of outbound Chinese tourism, but the tourism industry in Singapore (and indeed, the whole of Singapore) has rallied together in an extraordinary effort to keep Singapore healthy and safe.”
Citing the “very hard but incredibly useful lessons from SARS in 2003”, he said that many hotels, venues, attractions and event organisers had developed protocols and processes to deal with contingency scenarios such as the spread of an infectious disease.
“These protocols have stood us well during this period. Our airport, cruise terminals, hotels, attractions and event venues have literally gone into overdrive, stepping up their vigilance and cleaning/sanitisation regimens. I have visited several venues and I am completely confident in the robustness of their processes and the dedication of their leadership and their people.
“Equally important, the Singapore government has moved swiftly to mobilise a Whole-of-Government effort to strengthen our defences, enhance our vigilance and shore up our ability to reduce the risk of importation and transmission of the novel coronavirus (nCoV). The government is sparing no effort to safeguard the health of Singaporeans and our visitors.”
It is issuing updates through this link.
As a result, WiT’s parent company Northstar Travel Group is going ahead with its HICAP/AOCAP event in Singapore March 17-18. Said Alicia Evanko-Lewis, senior vice president, Events, “This country continues to amaze me. I’d live there if it wasn’t so far from my parents and brothers. We will continue to monitor the situation via the link they provided. Now we are armed with information about the precautions Singapore is taking should we get inquiries from delegates.”
Honestly, I’ve never seen so much cleaning going on, and washing of hands, and just a general awareness of cleanliness and hygiene. Taxis have sanitisers and wipes. People have become more considerate. Behind the scenes, industry players are talking together and figuring out how to get through this crisis, together. This is comforting to know. Crisis unites.
And this is why I believe there will be several positive outcomes as a result of this.
One, China – along with everywhere else – will become a cleaner country. James Liang, Trip.com Group’s chairman, had raised this as a point to be addressed if China is to become a bigger inbound destination. This rudest of wake-up calls should shake people to their core and get everyone to realise the importance of basic hygiene.
Two, dare we hope that there will be a permanent ban on the China wildlife trade? With the speculation that the virus came from live animals at an urban market in Wuhan, a temporary ban has been placed, but dare we hope that given the severity of this outbreak, authorities will consider making it permanent. We cannot continue to encroach into animals’ habitats and not expect repercussions. Nature has every right to bite back if we don’t respect it.
Three, yes, there are fears of stigmatisation and Chinese travellers being shunned, but I have a feeling that everyone is now appreciating the value of the Chinese traveller to our general economies. It is said you only miss something after you lose it. Boy, are we missing our Chinese customers now.
No one will ever complain again about too many Chinese travellers – at least, not for a while. (We know how short our memories are.) From duty free stores in Paris to restaurants and spas in Bangkok and theatres and casinos in Las Vegas, everyone, bar none, is feeling the pain of masses of cancellations of Chinese travel, and wondering when they will return.
Four, entire societies will appreciate the value of tourism to the everyday economy. Beyond those of us who work in the industry frontline, tourism’s influence on everyday life will be felt. From taxi drivers to hawkers, from masseurs to magicians, everyone will realise how important tourism is to their day-to-day livelihoods. Dare we hope that post-coronavirus, everyone will be much nicer to travellers, no matter their nationality? It certainly made a difference to Hong Kong which became a gentler, cleaner place, in the aftermath of SARS.
Five, travel will become even more resilient. We are no strangers to crisis and every crisis makes us stronger. It brings a shakeout and those left standing will be the ones with the responsibility and wherewithal to take the industry forward.
There’s a lot of speculation out there – how long will this last? Some say, six months – SARS took that long. Others say, this will be longer – nine months. No one really knows. The responses have certainly been sharper and swifter.
Burj Khalifa lit up in red in solidarity with China
The important thing for us, as an industry, to overcome is our own fear, and to stop being alarmists ourselves. We are travel’s foot soldiers. Yes, the priority is to keep our employees and customers as safe as possible, but we must not let fear drive our decisions. Most major travel corporations have cancelled non-essential travel for employees. A travel startup I spoke to said, “For us, all travel is essential. If we don’t travel, our businesses die.”
There’s a lot of concern out there among travel industry employees – staff being told to take voluntary leave. “The next step is unpaid leave and the next is layoffs,” said one. Could this time be used to send staff for training? Could big companies help small ones out by opening their doors to their training facilities? Could the giant OTAs, valued in their billions, help their hotel partners out in some way?
This is a good report of China’s travel industry stepping in to help their country and each other out during these difficult times.
I am happy to see people still travelling, both for business and leisure. I too am off for the weekend. I think of all my Chinese friends whose travel plans were all scuttled and who are now not welcome in most countries, including Singapore, and who are stranded in others because flights have been cancelled, and I feel for them.
I had a meeting this week with a VC from Hong Kong who didn’t want to cancel her trip because she was just starting out in her venture. She reassured me, “I am clean to meet you.” I told her, “I am clean to meet you too.” Trust is a two-way street.
It is said that it is only when you are down, you realise who your true friends are. The Argentine Minister of Tourism and Sports Dr. Matías Lammens, after meeting with Trip.com’s Liang, told the media “we welcome Chinese travellers with open arms”. A few days ago, the Burj Khalifa lit up in red over solidarity with China.
Those I have spoken to can’t wait to get back out and up once the virus blows over. Imagine the pent-up demand, imagine the fighting spirit, imagine the bounce-back.
Like you, I can’t wait for that day.
Featured image credit: ekolara/Getty Images
*Latest update: 7 February 2020: CAREhab 2020 has been postponed to 10-11 July 2020.