In typical Trump style, the US president has thrown his toys out of the pram, leading to a government shutdown, which will likely run until next week.
Geoff Freeman, President and CEO of the US Travel Association sent Trump a letter earlier this week, begging him to keep the government open, which he estimated could lead to the US travel economy losing an eyewatering $US1 billion every week of the shutdown.
Inevitably, that shutdown has now come into play but fortunately for the travel industry, 61,000 of the 64,000 workers at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) have been exempt and are continuing to work at the airports, while the others are furloughed.
“While the TSA is prepared to continue screening about 2.5 million passengers a day, an extended shutdown could mean longer wait times at airports. We kindly ask for our passengers’ patience during this time,” said the organisation.
“While it is unfortunate some of our politicians have put politics before the well-being of our country, TSA is prepared for an orderly shutdown.”
Brand USA also stated that the shutdown will have “minimal disruptions” to travellers’ plans, World Expeditions confirmed USA trips are operating as scheduled, and Hawaii Tourism encouraged tourists to continue their travel plans to the islands.
However, outside of flights, travellers do need to be aware of potential delays or closures at attractions such as parks, museums and cultural sites staffed by government employees.
I spoke with a couple travel industry leads for their take and neither of them seemed terribly concerned about the impact of the shutdown on Australians either.
As Luxury Escapes’ Adam Schwab pointed out: “The US Government shutdowns tend to get resolved pretty quickly given the sheer vested interests involved, so it’s unlikely to have an impact on leisure or medium-term corporate bookings, but short-term corporate bookings may be impacted while it’s resolved.”
Complex Travel Group’s Mark Trim echoed the sentiments, as “future booking intent remains strong and seemingly unimpacted”.
He also described Australian travellers as “extremely resilient” in the face of uncertain global events, whether it’s geopolitical events or adverse weather events (although he did comment on the “continual lack of care and adequate support shown by airlines in these situations”).
“The majority of Australians adopt the ‘she’ll be right’ approach of ‘it won’t happen to me’. This can be a risk in terms of where they book and whether they take appropriate precautions, with many learning lessons the hard way when they go it alone,” he warned.
“The challenge for agents is to communicate their value to customers going through these disruptions and to drive the point home for future trips that where you book matters.
The ability to service those clients appropriately is becoming more difficult due to a lack of collaboration with airlines on disruption policy but at the very minimum, you have someone who you can pick up the phone and speak to.”
But it is not just the US enduring turbulence, with Europe also experiencing major unrest this week, where strikes and protests across the continent have led to disruption in several countries including Italy, Greece and the Netherlands.
On Thursday, tens of thousands protested across France in 200 towns and cities, initiated by unions asking the new PM to scrap budget cuts, forcing the closure of several tourist attractions including the Louvre, Château de Versailles, and the Eiffel Tower.
According to Smartraveller, tourists should “exercise a high degree of caution” in France, as strikes often take place.
“When they occur, expect demonstrations and significant disruptions, which usually affect public transport and other public services,” stated the site. “Some result in clashes with police, resulting in the use of tear gas and arrests. Avoid demonstrations and areas with significant police activity.”
In other news, G Adventures and Nat Geo have partnered to launch a new venture for high-end travellers, which will debut in Jan next year, offering almost 30 trips across South Africa, Vietnam, Japan, central Asia, Peru and Jordan.
On Tuesday, Travel Daily editor Adam Bishop wrote about UK-based cultural tour operator Martin Randall Travel, which is available to book with Aussie advisors, opening up more options for travellers seeking small group tours led by experts in art, architecture, music and history.
It marks the company’s first overseas trade-focused expansion since it launched in 1988.
Over the seas, we sent out a breaker earlier this week, announcing Regent Seven Seas Cruises VP and GM Lisa Pile’s new remit, which now includes overseeing Oceania Cruises in Asia, following an organisational restructure at NCLH in Australia.
Meanwhile, Constance Seck will return as Director of Sales, Southeast Asia for Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, based in Singapore.
James Sitters will remain unaffected in his current role of Director of Sales, Australia & New Zealand at Oceania Cruises.
And in the skies, we covered the departure of Air Canada’s General Manager ANZ Vic Naughton, who is now exploring new career opportunities.
Meanwhile, home-based luxury agent brand 360 Private Travel is coming to our shores and is on the hunt for some of Australia’s best advisors to join the network.
Agents will be able to join the organisation based on a commission-only remuneration model, which will start at 65% and increase based on experience and sales volume, said CEO James Turner in an interview.
To help launch the business in Australia, Our Travel Curator and luxury specialist Leah Greengarten has been brought on board as General Manager.
On that note, it’s time to kick off the long weekend and turn the clock back. We’ll catch you next week.
