Member-only story
The Hardest Part of Traveling in Pandemic
The tourist crisis that nobody is talking about and how we can help
At the beginning of November, I decided to start traveling again.
After reading all the protocols that the airlines are using, reviewing the places that are opening, and buying all the hygiene items that I needed, I felt that I was ready to be “free” again and enjoy a passion that was closed for more than 8 months.
But what I was not prepared for was what I was going to see in the destination country: the post-pandemic crisis and everything that has come with it.
According to Yelp data, 60% of business closures due to the coronavirus pandemic are now permanent. Throughout the past eight months, restaurants, bars, and nightlife venues have been hit the hardest by the restrictions brought by the pandemic: more than 32,000 restaurants have closed, as of Nov. 1. The number of restaurants forced to permanently close is slightly above Yelp’s total average, at 61%.
But that’s not all.
The businesses that have remained open have faced a rather difficult task: convincing customers that eating, shopping, or even just being in their businesses is safe.
