Without governments opening borders, the conversations around a return to travel are all hypothetical, so monitoring and reacting as each country goes through the process of beginning an adjusted approach to life to create a sense of normality will be key. It’s apparent that this process will be more protracted and complex than the intense period experienced when the world essentially called a time-out and closed down.
It’s also been made abundantly clear by all major governments that they will pull back from the relaxing of restrictions at a moment’s notice if scientific advice changes, or there is any signs of a second wave occurring. We are likely to see specific restrictions imposed, rather than a blanket lifting of travel limitations.
But of course, government permission doesn’t simply apply to border control. Within each country there will be significant variations in key areas, including:
Transport infrastructure availability and readiness
Ongoing social distancing requirements in public spaces
Guidelines on working environments affecting the numbers of people permitted in offices
Return to schooling or access to childcare to allow people to return to work
Imposition of ongoing work from home policies
IATA, the BTA and other industry bodies are calling on governments and other ruling bodies around the world to create some degree of standardisation and to learn the lessons from 9/11 where regulations were so disparate that it was all but impossible for the traveller to comply.
The most significant activity for Reed & Mackay in this regard is to surface information from governments, in particular around border entry restrictions, accurately and rapidly through two key routes:
R&M/iQ intelligence to provide our agents with the most up to date information
R&M/Portal intelligence to support decision making when approving travel requests