Quote from Harald A. Friedl on 3. February 2020, 16:47

If only presentations and extended abstracts, ok. Full papers - no chance untill then for both...

Quote from Michael Meallem on 4. February 2020, 10:55

I know that now it seems the virus is devastating,,,,but its only because of the mass hysteria of the media..when you look at the infection rate and fatality rate, its way less harmful than SARS was......As soon as this news item drops from page 1, things will be back to normal......I hope!

Quote from Adis Krdzalic on 4. February 2020, 11:15

Human fear drives everything and everyone! As you already said, the media makes things even worse. Of the 425 confirmed deaths across mainland China, 80% of the victims were over the age of 60, and 75% of victims had some form of underlying disease. It means that the virus is not "killing" people as it is written in most of the media.

Good overview in this article: https://edition.cnn.com/asia/live-news/coronavirus-outbreak-02-04-20/index.html

I think it will impact the tourism sector in Asia in the short run, but soon everything will be fine (I hope).

 

Quote from Harald A. Friedl on 4. February 2020, 14:27

I hope, I don't sound "precocious", but in our technology-driven world we tend to forget that we are all emotional beings, driven by the structure and the configuration of our brain. It's our emotions (not rational calculations) which moves us to book a trip somewhere in a "paradise", and in consequence, we expect everything to be according our romantic expectations (sounds like a tautologe...). That's why risks are some kind of "forbidden" interaction between the "artificial, mediated tourist image" and the "real world" which is - surprise, surprise - full of strange and bad things, such as those bad little animals which resist to get "colonialized" or "civilized" by humans and the tourism industry.
For too much time, tourism industry is investing only in the competition for more and more people without investing into the emancipation of customers (as well as other stakeholders): to become aware again that tourism takes place WITHIN THIS WORLD and not in an artificial Disney World.
In consequence, we have to cope with challenges, risks, dangers, crime, disappointments...

As you know, I was tourguide for many years in North- and Westafrica. The tourism system there always had problems with occational criminal incidents like robberies or, at the end, hijackings. So, how did I handl the situation?
The answer was - and always is (and it is the prinicple of any preventing crises management plan, thanks Nirundon!):
Be honest, be transparent, explain what you know, what is done, what will be done, what is the realistic risk according to...
I never told my customers that it would be safe. The opposite! I told them that there is always a certain risk to be robbed, but that we know the risks, we now the critical places, we know about how to minimize the risk etc. - and poeple belived us and accepted the final risk faktor. And, happily, never happend anything problematic.

The point is: Customers are not stupid. They can handle risks. They do in their daily life. But as long as we sell them a shiny Disney World, they will expect it. And they are right, then.

So, open, honest, critical-empowering communication...

Quote from Harald A. Friedl on 9. March 2021, 10:08

Could anyone give a short up-date about this situation in tourism in Thailand after one year of CoVid19?

What I have found so far:

Thailand plans to ease quarantine rules for visitors to revive tourism sector: Report: https://www.livemint.com/news/world/thailand-plans-to-ease-quarantine-rules-for-visitors-to-revive-tourism-sector-report-11615084946925.html

Domestic Travel, 2021: The Only Hope Hinges on Concerted Effort from All Parties to Combat COVID-19 (Current Issue No.3180)

From CNN travel:

Traveling to Thailand during Covid-19: What you need to know before you go "Foreign tourist arrivals into Thailand plunged to the lowest level in at least 12 years after the country closed its borders to contain the coronavirus outbreak, with a resurgence in infections now undermining efforts to reopen the industry."...

Any comments?