The June Pivot: Could Next Month Be a Light at the End of the Tunnel for Travel?

Those of us who've remained bullish about leisure travel's return -- even in the throes of the worst travel industry crisis of our lifetimes -- are feeling pumped about June!

Travel came to a screeching halt by mid-March, and numbers have been dismal even recently, with the TSA reporting a 90-95% year-over-year drop in air passenger traffic. But May has also been the month when we've seen travel companies putting ad dollars behind their promotions -- more of those $49 airfare emails and a clear uptick in social media campaigns. With post-pandemic travel poised to be as inexpensive and flexible as we've seen in years, it looks like June will likely be marked by a bump in actual travel -- led by road trips and regional getaways.
How is the world of entertainment -- the way movies are made and experienced -- changing due to COVID-19? Check out Episode 3 of The Gabe Saglie Show, featuring KTLA's Sam Rubin!
Take a peek at some of the domestic reopenings that will inevitably attract many of us:
  • Now: Arizona is open, with the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess announcing May 23 that all its onsite pools are open!
  • Memorial Day Weekend: some Gulf Coast resorts are at 80% capacity this holiday weekend, find out more on Episode 4 of The Gabe Saglie Show!
  • June 1: LEGOLAND Florida reopens
  • June 1: Miami Beach hotels reopen
  • June 1: the Florida Keys reopen
  • June 1: Montana reopens
  • June 1: Amtrak restarts Acela service along the Northeast Corridor
  • June 4: Nevada gaming reopens, including Las Vegas, baby!
  • June 5: Universal Orlando reopens
  • June 30: Hawaii's 14-day mandatory quarantine for arriving passengers expires
  • July 1: The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn reopens, find out more on Episode 2 of The Gabe Saglie Show!
Some international reopening milestones of note::
  • May 29: Austria's hotels reopen
  • June 1: Turkey reopens travel
  • June 4: Italy reopens to EU tourists
  • June 6: Portugal reopens its beaches
  • June 15: Iceland reopens to all tourists
  • June 17: Dominican Republic hotels reopen
  • June 21: The US-Canada border reopens
  • June-July: Sandals and ClubMed begin to reopen their North American and Caribbean properties
  • July 4: UK hotels open, find out more on Episode 4 of The Gabe Saglie Show!
  • July 20: Many Ireland hotels reopen
  • August 10: Ireland pubs open, find out more on Episode 1 of The Gabe Saglie Show!
For an awesome ongoing list of global reopenings, check out Skift's "Travel's Reopening: A Global Timeline."
Travel's reopening reality is not linear, which makes making hard-and-fast travel plans in the next few weeks a bit challenging; these re-opening dates are moving targets and subject to change. But it's clear that the travel sector, on a global level, is seeing June as a promising chapter in travel's triumphant return.

What's ahead? Expect bookings to continue to surge through summer, a likely surge in travel numbers come fall (I'm calling fall the "new summer" for American travelers) and a comparatively vigorous return to cruising and international travel by the first quarter of 2021.

See you on the road!


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