Coronavirus and Travel

The aviation industry is going to change dramatically over the coming weeks and months. Lufthansa thinks it is well-placed to ride this one out, but how many other airlines can say the same?

It's fairly certain that many Marriott International-affiliated properties will never reopen. CEO Arne Sorenson is showing leadership in being candid about the tough measures the hotel chain has to take to emerge with a business worth running when coronavirus hopefully fades.

Given that we still don't know enough about the coronavirus, is this a case of overoptimism? Whatever happens, an online player like Lastminute.com is probably more resilient than asset-heavy travel companies.

Tourism marketers can't run their campaigns as usual right now. But that doesn't mean they can't do anything. The challenge lies in finding the right tone — and the right timing.

To hear that signs of recovery are in sight from China’s biggest travel firm is offering the battered tourism industry a glimmer of hope.

Event planners eager to avoid bidding adieu to their events have been optimistically postponing them to the summer months. With the coronavirus now showing little signs of abating by May or June, however, the industry is looking to the fourth quarter for recovery.

There will be a reckoning and perhaps a reordering of the competitive landscape once the coronavirus crisis fades. Meanwhile, companies such as Expedia Group know they need to have extreme focus to dig out of the mess.

Without the spread of the coronavirus being contained or widespread travel restrictions being lifted, any increase in hotel occupancy is little more than a short-term blip.

Major hotel chains are undertaking financial moves to get past the coronavirus crisis. But without governmental relief, it likely won't be enough.

This was the week that broke the camel’s back. Skift Research believes that effectively all short-term bookings in the U.S. have been canceled at this point. Three weeks ago that would’ve been a shocking statement; today not so much.