Travel and Tourism in the Pandemic

Just the other day, I got an ad on Instagram for a compelling airline discount “if I booked my ticket by the end of the day.” The ad was jolting (not just because of the discount!): more than a year after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, it seemed like many were ready to move on and get back to “normal.” For many countries whose economies rely on tourism, the impact of COVID-19 was devastating. According to the World Tourism Organization at the United Nations, 2020 was the worst year for global tourism. “Destinations worldwide welcomed 1 billion fewer international arrivals in 2020 than in the previous year,” they wrote in January. But with over 1.32 billion vaccine doses administered worldwide, maybe things are looking up. This project serves as a snapshot of the ways the pandemic has affected tourism, from Egypt to Zion, and the ways cities and countries are adapting to the new normal that emerges from devastation.

Three years ago, Renee traveled to Egypt and had a beautiful experience. Over the course of two weeks, she walked inside of the pyramids and sailed the Nile River. But tourists who visited in 2020 did not have the same experience. When the pandemic struck the entire globe, Egypt’s tourism industry was dramatically affected and hundreds of people lost their jobs. Yet some tourists kept visiting the beautiful country and documented their experiences. After comparing her experience to that of the tourists in 2020, she noticed major differences and compiled them into a story.

While the pandemic virtually eliminated tourism last spring, visitor numbers at many national parks like Zion soared by summertime as travelers ditched cramped city quarantines for scenic road trip destinations. This year, many people are visiting national parks who would not normally have come but with the pandemic had few alternatives. Although land managers are glad that a broader and more diverse audience is connecting with national parks, crowds have wreaked havoc on invaluable protected lands, tagging ancient rocks and littering parks with their trash.

Last summer, as New York City was easing its COVID-19 restrictions, the outdoors became the place to be. Streets were busy with people stepping into the semblance of a social scene for the first time in months, to-go cocktails in hand. Automobile gridlock was replaced by bicycle and pedestrian traffic. Concerts and live comedy shows popped up in parks and street corners across the five boroughs. Though absent were the millions of tourists that give our town its name “The city that never sleeps,” there was a certain energy to seeing the streets teeming with New Yorkers enjoying themselves outside. A year later, advocates and city pols alike are pushing to make the city more environmentally sustainable and inviting for tourists’ return.

Travel has largely been on hiatus since the pandemic hit over a year ago, but the vaccine rollout has many countries reviving their tourism industries by inviting fully vaccinated travelers to visit. The list of places that’s allowing inoculated tourists is growing every week, with Bermuda, the Bahamas, and Estonia among the latest to ease travel restrictions. Other countries, such as France and Thailand’s Phuket, have hinted at plans to open to vaccinated travelers this summer. But travel protocols vary from country to country, making travel a potentially complicated endeavor for even those who are fully inoculated. Travelers should brush up on each country’s rules and restrictions before booking a trip anywhere.

Click on an interactive below to begin.