Until just a couple of months ago, a bright future was expected, with Portugal breaking previous records in terms of tourism revenue, number of visitors and room nights.
This success even brought complaints about overtourism. However, now there’s a whole different reality: planes grounded at empty airports, closed hotels, travel agencies and restaurants, tuk-tuks (three-wheeled motorcycle taxis) resting in garages, and beautiful landscapes lying deserted.
The growing pains that were felt, especially in the main cities, are no longer a challenge. Plans for a new airport have been postponed, since now there are plenty of slots waiting for air carriers to come. Some of them will never take off again.
On the current agenda is the survival of thousands of companies and hundreds of thousands of jobs in tourism industry.
Many opine that this dependence on the tourism industry is excessive and Portugal will suffer more than others due to this. It would need more time to recover.
Today, the image of China, which, like Portugal’s tourism, was enjoying increasing respect from the public, is unjustly suffering the effects of disinformation and ignorance.
There are even people who call SARS-CoV-2 the “Chinese virus “, thereby putting 1.4 billion Chinese under suspicion, and increasing barriers to the healthy relationship that everyone was building and experiencing.
China is one of the markets that need to recover earlier and, consequently, help everyone else recover faster.
The world will travel again, but with time. Sooner, rather than later, we’ll reach the previous numbers.
Tags: Global Tourism
