Speaker Alison Kearney with Sergeant Mike Abercrombie answering questions following her presentation.

 

One of our own Alison Kearney who owns and operates the House of Travel in Howick shared her experience of the dreadful impact that Covid 19 has had on the industry and her business at our Tuesday dinner meeting.

Knowing about the outbreak in January and being led to believe that it was going to similar to the previous SAARS and MERS situation Alison left New Zealand to travel to Norway and the Artic to see the “bucket list” Northern Lights in late February. While away and being temporarily out of Wi-Fi contact, she suddenly had a barrage of emails on the 10th March notifying her of the situation as well as a deluge of questions from clients. On the 11th March the WHO declared the outbreak as a pandemic. 

The impact of the Covid 19 pandemic on her own business and the travel industry as a whole has been disastrous and Alison bravely related her own downsizing and alternative income business strategies that she and the NZ operations of the House of Travel had to put into place to survive. In addition, she told us about the international impact including such incredible statistics such as; 17000 planes being “idled” in deserts around the world at a cost of US$5000 per day, IATA members losses of a staggering US$84 billion up to July, all the world cruise ships anchored up and mothballed, Emirates refunding 750000 tickets per month and one airline having 19 policy changes in one month. She also shared some of the amazing House of Travel survival stories that occurred during this period. 

Despite going through this horrendous ordeal Alison is proud of how her and the company have weathered the storm and is also immensely grateful for the ongoing customer support that she has received. After 33 years in the industry Alison is optimistic that with everyone getting vaccinated and borders opening safely that it will be “onwards and upwards from here” after an incredibly stressful year. 

 

The full text of Alison’s presentation is available under Read More.