Over the past 60 years, the global tourism movement has
increased exponentially. With more people around the world being able to travel
and travel, this has become the easiest way in which one can get to know the
world around him, and communicate with people from different cultures. But the
restrictions that are being imposed in various countries of the world in order
to contain the epidemic spread of the new Corona virus, change the scene
radically in tourist destinations, were crowded with visitors in the past.
Governments around the world warn their citizens of any
unnecessary movements or movements. Countries such as those in the European
Union, Australia, New Zealand, and others, have also announced closing their
borders to foreign visitors. With the increasing number of places closed to
visits, many tourists were forced to cancel their holidays, while others were
stranded outside their countries.
So what can you do if you encounter any of these situations?
In the coming lines, Simon Koulder, who for years presented the "Travel
Show" program on "BBC", gives you his advice in this regard.
If large numbers of people are stranded somewhere, and many
think that they have lost a lot of their money; Why would you advise them in
this case?
It is an extraordinary situation that we are going through
at this point. Airlines simply ignore the fact that it is necessary to take
into account the rights of passengers in many situations. She argues that her
options are very limited and that the situation is completely out of control.
Meanwhile, travel insurance companies are following the
example of their aviation sector. Of course, many assume that their financial
problems will be solved through what they will get from these companies, but
that may unfortunately not happen for weeks or even months.
Besides, it will not be possible for those affected by the
current crisis to know the amount of money that they will be able to claim to
recover, until the current storm passes completely, which means that their
financial resources will shrink until then, which will also affect many of the
senior specialists in the tourism and travel industry, In light of the
cessation of movement and flight at the present time.
Do you recommend that someone rush to return to their
homeland if it is outside?
Yes, I highly recommend it. So if you know that the
government of the country you are visiting will stop after two days, for
example, the movement of air, you should hurry up to find a flight leaving its
lands, via the Internet. In extreme emergencies, go to the airport on your own
to see if there are flights to your country. Most people will - I hope - be
able to return to their home countries.
What are the most common problems that you currently receive
inquiries via e-mail?
The most urgent problem of course is "I am in this or
that country, and I am trying to return to my homeland. Help me. What can I
do?" All I can say in this regard is that everyone who faces this problem
must assume that he will not get any support from the airline on which he has
booked his travel card, or from the insurance company that he deals with, not
even from his country's embassy, which means that He must make his decision
without delay, as he has no time to waste.
Hence, in this case, one must spend all the necessary money
in order to be able to return to his homeland, even through the use of family
members and friends to help him save the cost of the flight card. The most
important thing now is to leave the country in which he is currently stuck, and
to ask any questions after that.
There are those who cannot communicate with their country's
embassies, is this common?
In fact, I am not surprised that this happened. The work
team in the consular departments of the various embassies usually consists of a
few people who, in most cases, deal with problems such as lost passports, or
some citizens of the country that this embassy is affiliated with face to face
legal problems, or a number of them suffer from satisfactory cases.
The issue is simply that consular staffs are not prepared to
face a situation, in which thousands or perhaps hundreds of thousands of people
are required to leave a country as quickly as possible. Our systems have never
been designed to deal with the current situation, which is the worst emergency situation
that the travel and tourism industry has faced in its history.
Many say they face problems communicating with the airlines
they have booked their travel cards on, and one of them even says that he was
left on hold on the phone for three full hours. On the other hand, airlines
bear the brunt of dealing with the extensive communications received from their
customers. What would you advise if none of us could communicate with the
airline that is supposed to fly on one of its planes?
There is no doubt that the airlines are currently suffering
from the severe pressures on them. Therefore, if you had done your best, and
still could not get a response from the company within a reasonable time, I am
afraid to say that in this case you will have to take what you see as the best
decision in the current circumstances.
Do not hesitate to spend any money you need to spend to meet
the current crisis, keep receipts related to that, and subsequently make
reasonable requests to recover your expenses incurred during this period.
And by the way, if you try to arrange your affairs in this
regard via the Internet, airlines will offer you in many cases, accepting a
gift voucher that you can use on future trips, as compensation for your
additional expenses.
In any case, you are entitled to a refund if your flights
are canceled, which is now a very unfortunate event. In light of the fact that
the coupon that the airline may give you may not benefit you at all, you should
stick to obtaining cash compensation no less than that.
How do you evaluate the way insurance companies deal with
the current crisis?
Travel insurance companies - just like any other company or
entity today - face an unprecedented and unclear stance as well. It is running under
power from the workforce, and its budgets are under great pressure. You can, if
you live in the United Kingdom, for example, turn to the agency responsible for
settling disputes between clients and UK-based financial services companies.
This authority can compel the insurance companies to compensate you if you find
that your complaint is valid.
Of course, there are local laws in various countries of the
world that may - I say maybe - provide some help to those seeking insurance
from insurance companies. But all I can say is that these companies will not be
in a hurry to pay any money to clients, because that will cost them billions of
dollars.
Nick Smith of the United Kingdom tweeted on Twitter the
following question: “After the Six Nations Rugby Championships in Paris were
canceled, the hotel returned my full money to me, but the railroad company I
was traveling on one of its trains would have to pay £ 70 to change My return
card, and don't offer a refund of any part of the money to me. What can you
advise me? "
Many sports fans, whose tournaments or competitions they
used to travel to attend, are now asking, "What do we do?" I fear
that in the case of the owner of this question, it is that the train company
can still take him to Paris and bring him back from there as well, and that the
issue is related to the fact that he is the one who no longer wants to go, so
the company officials can say, "This is not our problem."
These companies apply the conditions and rules conferred on
them by law. In light of all of this, all I can tell Nick is that he must at
least be happy that the hotel has returned his money to him.
The future of the travel industry
Both airlines are already suffering the two because they
have to cancel their flights, and some of them have requested financial aid
from the governments of their countries. The aviation industry is facing its
biggest crisis since the September 11 attacks, in light of the fact that many
companies working in this field have had to keep 90 percent of their fleets of
aircraft on the ground.
The hospitality sector was also affected by the closure of
many destinations, landmarks and tourist places around the world. According to
estimates by the World Travel and Tourism Council, the current epidemic
outbreak of the Corona virus in the world may result in the elimination of up
to 50 million jobs. The council notes that the travel industry may contract by
25 percent during 2020.
Nevertheless, aviation analyst Paul Charles says: "We
are going to get through this crisis. We have an inherent desire to travel. It
is a fold in our DNA. The virus will not take that out of our souls. We will
want to travel again, and the industry will rise from its repression." .
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