Governments, tourism associations, airlines, hotel companies, travel agents and cruise lines as well as coach drivers, housekeepers, local guides, pilots, restaurateurs, museum operators, bed and breakfast hosts, entertainers, caterers, fishermen, shopkeepers and bar owners – in short, all people who are owned by Want to profit from tourism dollars – are under extreme economic pressure not to lose another tourism season. The past year of no travel, when international arrivals fell from 1.5 billion to 381 million, was devastating. For many, another similar year would be unthinkable.
And so an already stressed system was forced to face an existential dilemma: Will countries opt for continued international closures or do they increase the risk of disease and sue for urgently needed tourism revenues? New Zealand, which has virtually cleared the coronavirus from its shores through a combination of strict lockdowns, border closings and rigorous quarantines, has made its claim at one end of the spectrum. Greece seems to claim the other.
There are no easy answers, no universal solutions. In many cases, the responsibility rests with individual tourists – the lucky and vaccinated few who have incentives and fevers to travel – to carefully steer ethical considerations.
Of all the variables, only one seems to be inevitable: The decisions we make as to whether to venture near the house or hurrying there are for the individual workers – the unfortunate and unvaccinated many – who by reason of the circumstances are so probably not a good sign of being prone to both the virus and the unsteady fate of a badly affected industry.
“I think we learned important lessons over the year on how to be safer in public spaces,” said Dr. Fortune, who stressed that it is important for vaccinated travelers to continue testing, wearing masks, and practicing social distancing.
“I think the real danger,” she added, “is that the most vulnerable are those who are least able to mitigate risk.”
