The impact of this crisis is devastating for the entire industry and Travel Weekly stands in support of you all, says editor-in-chief Lucy Huxley
The events of recent days have been shocking, even for those who were envisaging the very worst-case scenarios for the impact of the coronavirus crisis on travel.
Over the weekend, I have spoken to a range of friends in the industry, from executives and business owners to travel agents on the frontline. Without fail, they reflect the best of our sector as it demonstrates once again its compassion and professionalism in support of its customers and partners.
During these conversations, I have been doing my best to reassure them as they face almost impossible circumstances. However, it is increasingly hard to do so when the business they all love and depend on is becoming restricted and decimated beyond any of our worst expectations.
In last week’s edition of Travel Weekly, I made the point that history shows that all crises eventually pass. I remain confident that our remarkable and resilient industry will emerge from this awful situation as it has done before – particularly if the government recognises the value of the industry and the businesses and people within it, and offers practical support to help it ride out the storm.
But there is no doubt that there is more pain ahead before that process of recovery can begin, and the industry that emerges will be a very different one to that which entered 2020 with a real sense of optimism.
As an independent company at the heart of the travel and hospitality industries, Travel Weekly and its parent company Jacobs Media Group stand alongside you, our readers, partners and friends.
Like you, we face immense challenges ahead, but we will do our best to overcome these challenges, adapt our business and fulfil the commitment we stated 10 years ago, reiterated during our 50th anniversary year in 2019 and which has never felt more crucial: namely to inform, inspire, connect and support the entire travel industry.
Over the weeks and months ahead, we will continue to do the following to the best of our abilities:
• Bring you the very latest news on travelweekly.co.uk, and complement that with advice, opinion and commentary from our leading journalists and contributors, ranging from industry analysts to business experts. Our coronavirus live blog has been running since March 2 with all the news and updates as they happen, so please continue to follow that on travelweekly.co.uk for the very latest, and we will do our best to keep you updated via our Travel Weekly business emails every weekday morning and throughout the week.
• Publish your weekly print magazine. Barring restrictions or barriers to printing and distribution, we commit to publishing Travel Weekly throughout this crisis. If we reach a stage where we are precluded from printing and distributing the magazine, we will do our utmost to continue producing a digital version to complement the rolling news and advice on travelweekly.co.uk and keep you informed and connected. This crisis has already had an inevitable impact on edition sizes and content of the magazine, and we have taken steps such as postponing Mystery Shopper visits to allow our readers to focus entirely on immediate business needs, but you can be assured that we will do our best to continue to keep you up-to-date on the latest from travel suppliers to give you the tools to be ready when the time comes to resume business in earnest.
• Gather experts on our print, digital and social media channels to offer you real-time advice and the opportunity to ask the questions you need answered. Our first Facebook Live featuring Abta, Travlaw and Kuoni received an incredible reception, and we are planning more to keep you abreast of the latest guidance. We are also creating a resource centre on travelweekly.co.uk to give you as much advice as possible on practical and personal issues arising from the current situation.
• Provide a platform for associations, consortia and travel companies to relay important information and guidance to the industry and support them in their efforts to lobby government for practical assistance.
There is no doubt this crisis will continue for some time and will have a high personal and professional cost for many of us. But just as it is important to stand together and celebrate success in good times, so it is absolutely crucial to offer support and solidarity in the worst of times.
Everyone at Travel Weekly and I stand ready to do all we can, and you can be assured of our support throughout this situation and far, far beyond. Please don’t hesitate to contact me on lucy.huxley@travelweekly.co.uk with any suggestions for how we can continue to help you in these most trying of circumstances.