The travel, conference and tourism industry are going to be in recession for a long time after coronavirus is a distant memory.
As Charles Stross notes here in another context, people are going to be reluctant to gather in big groups with other people who’ve come from far away.
He says he doesn’t expect to see much activity in science fiction conventions in 2021 or 2022. I agree and see this going far beyond science fiction conventions.
Most of my career has been closely tied with professional conferences. I’ve gone to one or two a month, mostly traveling by plane to get there. And the companies I work for have been primarily in the conference business, with editorial operations – my work – as a sideline. Those companies are going to be struggling for years.
Yet another reason why I see a career change in my short-term future.