As we move through the COVID-19 crisis, antsy travelers are thinking about the first place they want to visit when they can get out of the house.
They want to pack their bags and run for the airport or train station to shake off months of confinement. Global travelers what to cross borders again.
However, in a changed world we too are changed, and while we are excited to once again explore the world, we move more cautiously. We will check the boarding and cleaning process of airlines. The refund or credit policies of hotels and cruise companies. Also, we will remember who treated us well during they crisis and put passengers over profits.
The starting point of this decision process, however, will be based on where we stick the pen in the map. Where will we go?
San Francisco, California would be my choice if I were not fortunate to already live here. I have been contacted by people around the world who are praising how our Mayor has handled the crisis, making them want to visit San Francisco as soon as the lockdown is over.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed deserves all the accolades she is receiving. She stepped up early – the first US City to do so, followed by New York City. She was the first US Mayor to call for a “State of Emergency” and set up Emergency response command center in the Moscone Convention Center.
Mayor Breed has proven to be a leader who can pull people together in a deadly crisis. Her quick response likely saved hundreds if not thousands of lives. This is the leadership in action that will boost travel back to San Francisco.
With this possibility San Francisco has hope for the future of tourism to the City by the Bay. The challenge will be for our hotels, restaurants and airport to step up and provide the same level of comfort for visitors as the Mayor’s leadership has done. We will choose our hotels based on the new technology for cleaning rooms, and how well they cleaned during lockdown. Some will lose a loyal customer base because of policies at the onset of the crisis that refused to give refunds. Guests will want to see more space in the lobby and restaurant, an ongoing adherence to social distancing. Likely more room service and less restaurants.
What will matter beyond cleaning and safety procedures, will be how these businesses stepped up during the crisis. Did they give rooms to First Responders – doctors, nurses, police. Did they set up quarantines for people who could not go home. Did they shelter the homeless – a difficult moral/marketing dilemma for sure. Did the restaurants donate food to senior homes, feed people on the front line of this pandemic, or did they raise prices to take advantage of the moment? Did they donate money, equipment, time?
When this Pandemic is under control, people will want to know who put people first. San Francisco Mayor London Breed put the people of San Francisco first. When the Golden Gate opens you should come visit and see how well a great leader kept our vibrant City healthy and hope filled.
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