1/Is Covid-19 here to stay?

The answer to this question seems quite logical: as long as the disease spreads and without a vaccine to inoculate the masses, yes, unfortunately Covid-19 is a long-term global health crisis we'll have to deal with or work around. If we reach back to 9/11/2001, the world came to a standstill in the wake of a shocking terrorism attack that delivered a gut-punch to air travel and tourism. On a global scale, people were scared to travel. We dealt with mass-cancellations and needed to keep airplanes on the ground as it was too expensive to operate them. Airlines and hotel chains went bankrupt. Many jobs across the spectrum of the tourism industry were lost. It was a bitter pill to swallow. We learned that we were all in it together and that in order for the industry to survive, we needed to rethink our business and above all, to be flexible. In the midst of a continued global health crisis, business as usual is quite unthinkable and improbable.

2/ What will be the government guidelines for tourism and hospitality sectors?

Tourism is so important in our country - really everywhere, but France especially thrives on it. The key statistics reported by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs show that:

• France continues to be the world’s most popular travel destination (ahead of the United States and China) with no less than 89.4 million foreign visitors in 2018.
• This accounted for about 8% of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product), or €56.2 billion in revenue and creating two million jobs.
• The 2020 goal set by the French Government was to attract 100 million international tourists with €50 billion in revenue which clearly indicates that the country was well on its way towards reaching that goal in terms of visitors, and had in fact exceeded that revenue target already in 2018

The latest available statistics for tourism in the Vendée (reported by Vendee Expansion 31st December 2019)

• The Vendée holds the most number of campgrounds in France
• Between hotels, campings, chambres d'hôtes, and gîtes (holiday homes), the Vendée has a capacity of nearly 760 000 beds available.
• Between 2018 and 2019 there was an increase of 1.5% of tourist accommodations in the department.

We already know that the external Schengen borders will remain closed for the time being but per the French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe (on 22/4/2020) movement between regions will be allowed after May 11th and there will be a gradual lifting of travel restrictions by mid-June. That bars and restaurants might open on June 15th is so far unconfirmed but more information is expected in the coming days.

How the "practical" future of travel and hospitality will be addressed remains to be seen. It is a given that behind the scenes the government in collaboration with the leaders of all regions are working hard to create a strict set of guidelines for businesses in the tourism and hospitality industry to follow.

It is doubtful that international travel or even travel within the Schengen borders will be restored any time soon. In fact, it is being reported that travel will be restricted to in-country only. But, regardless of this, we feel that the bigger question-mark lies with the consumer and traveller themselves. After the government's botched handling of the situation to begin with, and in ensuring their own safety and that of their families, the real challenge for businesses will be to gain the customer's confidence. 

It's probably safe to say that after a long, rainy winter season followed almost immediately by six weeks of confinement people will have a desire to travel, to go to a bar or to have a nice dinner out. These activities are an integral part of our lives! Which doesn't mean they will be eager to pile into the car quite immediately. We will want to travel, and eat out, but we will be cautious.

In the next points we think through some ideas for what the future of the travel and hospitality sector might look like through government guidelines, and/or how the small business owner could keep their service alive while boosting the traveller's moral and peace of mind.

3/ addressing employee safety

In both the tourism and hospitality sectors, employee safety will be a top priority. 

• work schedules - perhaps in shifts?
• assess general health of the employee - by body temperature scanning?
• hygiene - providing a disinfected work environment with necessary equipment such as hand gels, soap, products, masks and gloves AND a rigorous ritual for sanitizing.
• assign and restrict specific job descriptions to reduce confusion and contamination
• staff training is key
• put controls in place to ensure protocols