Coronavirus: How your overseas holidays will look now

Beach towels but no pool access? Masks in nightclubs? That’s what the travel industry is considering as it reconfigures for a post-pandemic world.

The Jade Mountain resort in St Luca.

An amusement park with no lines? A beachfront resort without swimming pools? Those scenarios could unfold this northern summer as hotels, amusement parks, casinos and other tourist attractions reconfigure for a post-pandemic world.

After grinding to a halt during the coronavirus lockdown, the $US9 trillion ($13.8 trillion) global travel and tourism industry is adapting destinations to an era that outlaws crowds. The industry has been wired to do the opposite, maximising the number of travellers climbing the Eiffel Tower or touring the Sistine Chapel, allowing nearby hotels, shops and other businesses to rake in more money.

As lockdowns ease, destinations are coming up with solutions to comply with social-distancing and disinfection rules. Here are some measures in the works.

Socially Distanced Beach Towels

The water slides and pool at the Nashira hotel will probably remain empty. Picture; Nashira hotel.

At the 500-room Nashira hotel he manages in the Turkish province of Antalya, Ezgican Aydogan is eager to learn from authorities when he can reopen. He has already identified potential trouble spots and come up with solutions. Lounge chairs and umbrellas, which usually are clustered on the beach, will be spread out but Mr Aydogan doesn’t know what will happen to the hotel/s water slides or swimming pools. Mr. Aydogan plans to place stickers on hotel floors and on the ground around the pools and tennis courts to manage the flow of foot traffic.

The hotel’s buffet will no longer be self-serve. Instead, food will be displayed behind a glass divider, with waiters preparing plates and bringing them directly to tables that guests can book using an app. The hotel elevators are another headache, he said, especially if authorities impose capacity restrictions. The fate of the resort’s multiple swimming pools and waterslides is unclear. “We want to restart but we have small dreams,” Mr. Aydogan said. “Not big dreams.”

Roulette Minus the Adrenaline

Masks will be mandatory at the Casino de Monte-Carlo and Monaco’s other three casinos. Picture: Monte Carlo Societe des Bains de Mer

Monaco, one of the world’s most densely populated countries, is known for a pastime that involves physical contact: gambling. When the principality’s four casinos reopen, possibly in June, guests will receive pouches containing hand sanitiser and silk gloves as well as masks, which will be mandatory. Decks of cards will be discarded after a single use. Dice, chips and slot machines will be wiped regularly with disinfectant.

Expect a twist at the roulette table, where the croupier normally allows the ball to circle the wheel twice — during which gamblers can keep picking numbers — before announcing “no more bets.” That is good for inducing adrenaline, according to Pascal Camia, head of gambling at Monaco’s resort company Société des Bains de Mer. Unfortunately, tests showed that it was impossible to hear players calling out bets through their masks, he said. “That’s a pity, but betting will have to stop when the ball is launched.”

Masks will be required for gamblers at the Casino de Monte-Carlo and Monaco’s other three casinos.

I sland Getaway, Via a Private Jet

People interested in travelling to the Jade Mountain resort in St Lucia want to arrive by private jet rather than risk commercial airplances. Picture: Jade Mountain Resort.

The reopening of Jade Mountain resort on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia hinges on whether people can reach the remote destination, says Karolin Troubetzkoy, executive director of marketing and operations. “We’re hoping for a soft reopening in June. The question is whether guests will want to come to the island on a big aircraft,” she said. “Some have asked me to look into the possibility of chartering business jets.”

The resort offers space and privacy, and one activity available to guests — scuba diving — poses few social-distancing concerns. Still, chef Allen Susser said he has drawn up plans to enlarge the kitchen to make sure cooks don’t rub shoulders. Staff will be trained on safe ways to interact with customers. “We can’t toss food from 6 feet away or leave a picnic basket on their tables,” Mr. Susser said.

The chef at the Jade Mountain Resort on St. Lucia plans to enlarge the kitchen so cooks aren’t too close together.

Bouncers with thermometers

Clubbers will have to have their temperatures taken at Tresor nightclub in Berlin.

Tresor is one of a handful of nightclubs in postindustrial settings that helped put Berlin on the tourism map. Packing its 1,000-person-capacity dance floor for an all-night techno party probably won’t happen until a coronavirus vaccine is available, management said. If on-the-spot tests for coronavirus prove effective, they might be deployed at club entrances. Otherwise, dress codes could include face masks, said Tresor owner Dimitri Hegemann, and patrons’ temperatures could be taken at the door. “But that wouldn’t work, there would be no intensity,” he added. “The party would be spoiled.”

Starved for revenue but facing more than €30,000 ($50,300) in monthly rental, loan-servicing and utility bills, Tresor, like other nightclubs, has appealed to authorities for financial support. At stake is the protection of iconic venues, such as the decommissioned power plant that houses Tresor, which could be bought by property developers, Mr. Hegemann said. “If we lose the venues, the party is over,” he said.

The Wall St Journal