[MUSIC PLAYING] ADAM STEWART: Any business that's trying to move a lot of people in a small space in an air-conditioned environment is going to have a much trickier situation to figure out with social distancing than a company like mine that's primarily open air, expansive parcels of land, and a company that was built on two people being in love. and giving their honeymoon as that privacy. I think the trickier part, which I do think is absolutely achievable, is going to be moving people across borders through the airports, and that's a global situation that we'll have to contend with, including domestically in the US or Canada or Europe. It's an airport is an airport is an airport. So we are having to work very closely with our local authorities and associations throughout the Caribbean on getting those best practices in, and once they leave the airport, creating these safe corridors, getting them to our resorts, and making sure that we adopt all of the best practices that we know and that we've outlined in what we call our Sandals Platinum Protocol 18-point checklist. So there's a couple of things happening down here in the Caribbean. We have written industry-leading health and safety protocols, which really, if I'm being frank about it, have been shared between some of the world's leading organizations. In addition to that, we have been working with associations like the International Association of Travel Advisors, which is a very powerful association in the United States of America, which deals with travel advisors, aviation best practices. And then on a local level on island, we in the Caribbean, of course, are going to be guided by the local health and safety protocols. In my country of Jamaica, I've been put on the National Economic Committee for reopening the country, so it's broader than tourism. It takes into consideration manufacturing and agriculture and entertainment. Seeing the cooperation between both sides of the political divide, seeing the maturity of the private and public sector coming together, it's hugely encouraging. And I don't think ever before, certainly in our generation, have we seen a situation where we could truly say, we're all in this together. I think the long-term effect here is that resorts and hospitality, whether it be an airline, whether it be a cruise ship, whether it be a nightclub, whether it be a bar, they are all about people moving back and forth in volumes. And there will be a new norm on how we clean and what we call sanitary measures. The world is an unbelievably curious place, so people travel out of curiosity. And they want to learn cultures, and they want to learn history. They want to see how people do things differently. And hospitality is about energy. It's about how does it make you feel, going out there and widening your perspective. So I don't think any of that's going to change. I don't think curiosity is going to change. I don't think the idea of exploring different cultures is going to change. But what I do think is going to change is we're going to be a little more aware, some would say hyperaware, of how well an operation really is run. And who are we going to trust to take care of us to do those things? What are the brands, what are the tour companies, what are the airlines that do it best, that keep us safe? Because at the end of the day, it's about our friends and our family and our loved ones and wanting that peace of mind. And peace of mind in travel is a critical thing. So I really think the only layer that's going to change really comes down to there will be a new norm and sanitary measures, and over time, that's going to evolve. [MUSIC PLAYING] 

How to Reopen: Vacationing in a post-pandemic world

Leadership

Sandals’ Adam Stewart on the future of travel.

Sandals’ Adam Stewart outlines the effects the coronavirus outbreak will have on the travel industry.
