On March 16, I sat down with my husband to enjoy a cup of coffee in our living room & watch Donald Trump and Justin Trudeau stream live on our television screen. The sun was shining outside & we had just finished our second load of dishes with Taylor Swift playing on blast through our stereo (her 1989 album … for those who are interested).
Up until that point we had been a little on edge & had made some minor preparations for a potential lock down … but had also been hoping that I, having tracked the spread of this virus closely from our tourism hot spot in Thailand, had been over-reacting just a little & that in reality we would have nothing much to worry about here.
Our day had started out like any other day, but the moment that Trudeau announced our border closure with the United States, we knew without a shadow of a doubt that things were about to get much worse very fast.
As many of you already know, I own a small boutique travel agency & one of our most popular tour destinations (and a personal favorite of mine) is Thailand.
The image above was taken by Hu Chen rock climbing in Railay & is merely one of so many beautiful & famous locations that we visit in Thailand (known as “The land of smiles”)
Last year, tourism in Thailand reached nearly 40 million & contributed close to 20% of the country's national income. Travelers visit Thailand from all over the world, but of that 40 million approximately 10 million came from China. So (as you can imagine) when the Chinese government first quarantined the city of Wuhan in January of this year, this impacted Thailand almost immediately.
Just after this initial lock down in China, TL Travel still had travelers in Thailand. As there had been no formal travel advisory for Canadians at that time, and cases in Thailand were very few (and seemingly controlled) our travelers were excited to find temples, beaches & other tourist sites incredibly peaceful & easily accessible.
For travelers visiting the country during that time, the atmosphere was ideal & like something out of a dream … but for the local hotels & businesses, this silence served as a warning of what was to come.
Thailand has overcome a great many disasters over the years. From violent protests & mass flooding to wild fires & of course the 2004 tsunami in Phuket. But regardless of these events, the beautiful beaches & smiling faces of the Thai people have continued to attract travelers year after year proving that they can, and will persevere.
That said though, this is a different kind of fight for Thailand. It is one thing for tourism to slow, but another thing for tourism to stop altogether.
It is believed that more than 25,000 Thai people have already lost their jobs & every few days TL Travel receives word from our friends & local partners that they too will be shutting their doors … possibly permanently.
There is no possible way to anticipate how long this pandemic will last, but it is safe to say that even after this comes to an end & the advisories lift, it will be a long road to a full recovery for the tourism industry in Thailand & worldwide.
With so much uncertainty surrounding Covid-19, it seems that almost everyone has been affected in one way or another. And while I understand that the panic that comes with this uncertainty is very real, I also urge travelers to consider rescheduling or postponing future travel, and to avoid cancelling altogether (if financially possible).
Travel providers worldwide are assisting with as much flexibility as possible during this time, but a spike in cancellations will lead to a longer, and much more difficult road to recovery. We may not know how long Covid-19 will disrupt the travel industry, but we do know that we will travel will again.
To all of our friends & partners in Thailand, I want to say “Thank you” for the sacrifices that you have made to keep our travelers healthy & safe. Even when closing your doors was not legally mandatory, it was your kindness & concern for them that encouraged you to make these difficult decisions.
When the borders open again & the world is ready for responsible travel, we will be be there for you.
Until then; stay healthy, stay happy & #StayHome
World Health officials are cautioning against all international travel at this time, and returning travelers are required to quarantine for 14 days in case symptoms develop & to prevent the spread of Covid-19 to others.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent hand washing & self-isolation in order to minimize contact with others.
Photos for this blog post have been provided by Hu Chen, Helena Lopes, Ben Turnbull & Bharath Mohan. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us!