Americans this year are truly ready for some turkey and family time to celebrate the holiday season after nearly three years of burdensome travel restrictions and a lack of social connections.
Media reports nationwide are reporting that Thanksgiving travel is expected to approach pre-COVID levels at nearly every major airport in the country, and hotels, resorts, and cruise ships are beginning to see a notable rise in travel commitments from the business and tourism sector. Call it “revenge travel.” People are certainly showing their fierce determination to resume their leisure and travel lives after having been involuntarily imprisoned by the wrath of Covid.
Let’s face it, Covid has not disappeared. In fact, the new variant continues to attack globally. But it’s a very different attitude people have now post-pandemic, and much of that relates to being grateful.
As gratitude has always permeated the holiday season for centuries, this year it takes on new meaning. People are grateful for having travel bans lifted and not having to adhere to mandatory 24-hour pre-travel covid testing. They are also grateful to be able to travel again and see family and friends, many of whom they have been unable to see for over three years. Gratitude extends beyond to those who are in the travel service and tourism industry. They, too, are grateful to have jobs again and to see tourism flourish in their respective cities and countries.
It’s interesting to reflect on how grateful we should all be in 2022 and the upcoming New Year as it relates to travel technology, too.
Countries all over the world struggled to keep the travel sector alive during Covid, mostly due to inconsistent government protocols and the lack of clear reopening roadmaps that made it difficult to promote destinations to visitors. Small travel businesses also didn’t have the funds to enhance their technology capabilities to manage bookings. Today, we see a massive shift on all levels to shift to digital platforms and digitized processes. During the pandemic, some operators created online dashboards so that visitors could view accommodations, transportation options, and tours all in one place. Many others have invested in online solutions that integrate booking and payments as well, including at GoSmart Travel.
The digitalization of the tourism industry- and a well-managed and effective transition – has driven tourism to new ease and heights. And all are grateful for this transition, which wouldn’t have occurred so quickly had it not been for the pandemic.
This Thanksgiving truly redefines the meaning of gratitude as it relates to the tourism industry and travel in general. It’s a good reason to put our heads down in prayer and hope that we will never be as paralyzed as we were three years ago, and we’ll never – ever have to worry about restrictive travel to see our loved ones no matter where in the world they may be.
