It’s easy for all of us to feel a sense of impending doom in the midst of Covid-19’s outbreak. Travelers especially have had to come to terms with a new normal - and it’s one that feels very uncertain. Mass border closures, canceled events and ceremonies, closing of museums, archeological sights and forbidding tourists from visiting for the unforeseen future…

Personally, as an Italophile, my heart breaks for the country’s ongoing situation. Italy depends on the tourism industry heavily (it represents about 13% of their gross domestic product), and as the third most popular tourist destination in Europe is struggling to grapple with major cancellations. According to Italy’s tourism federation Assoturismo, 90% of hotel and travel agency bookings for March have been cancelled. In less than a week, 200 million euros had been lost. Its president Vittorio Messina stated, “In recent history Italian tourism has never experienced a crisis like this. It is the darkest moment. Not even 9/11 affected it so heavily.”

So, in the midst of the darkness… what can we do? The good news is that there are a few simple ways we can support the tourism industry right now, even from afar. Remotely, we can all do our part to assist the travel industry (especially small, family operated businesses!) during this trying and difficult time.

Share On Social MediA

Despite the screeching halt on flights, cruises, tours and more… what the industry needs from all of us either practicing social distancing or quarantine is to continue sharing their content. It takes little time and absolutely no money to continue to re-share their photos, give your favorites a shoutout on IG stories, retweet their messages on Twitter, devote a blog post to your favorite resources or share with your followers your devotion to their brand. We must continue to fuel everyone’s wanderlust and desire to explore despite these difficult times.

Buy Gift Cards For Later

Gift cards are essentially pre-paid cash for companies to help push through this financially tense time. So, if you know that sometime in your future you will be utilizing a tourism company’s services, or you have a traveler friend’s birthday coming up - buy a gift card. It’s a symbolic pinky promise to ensure these businesses that a brighter day will come, and with that comes tourists and travelers willing to spend. Pay it forward if you have the means!

Write Reviews For Small Businesses

This is HUGE. Hop on review websites to send some love to tourism industry favorites you’ve experienced first-hand in the past. Loved that Sahara Desert tour you took a few years ago? Have an incredible stay at a small, boutique hotel a few months ago? Hop onto Yelp, booking websites and independent websites to boost their ratings and shine a spotlight on the wonderful things travel companies were doing (and will be doing once time has past). These reviews live on forever. Future tourists will look for companies to invest their money and time in. Since we have the time now to write thoughtful messages and reviews, don’t delay.

Consider donating a portion of your refund

If you’ve had your travel plans cancelled and refunded, consider donating a small portion of that money towards the small businesses you were anticipating to invest in. Many small companies are on the verge of bankruptcy, and anything helps. This may look different for everyone, but it’s worth noting that if you can’t donate right to the business you’ve booked from… there are many, many organizations and fundraisers out there to help struggling hospitals and independent situations close to home that can use your aid too!

Check In Online

It might not seem like much, but send a DM or shoot an email to the small tourism industry businesses to see how they’re doing. Ask what they need right now, problems they are foreseeing, and if there is anything you can do to help. If you have the capability to reschedule your trip for the future, send your hotel or B&B a quick message letting them know you’ll be booking them in the future. A simple little note can turn a dark day into a brighter one.

Buy from their online shop

Pop online and see if your favorite tourism brand has an online store to sift through. You’ll be surprised to see that many of these tourism industry leaders and small businesses alike may have physical products, books, e-courses and more available for purchase. These products can help push businesses forward during this dark time, and it’s an easy way to help for us working and living remotely for these next few weeks to share the love.