How Travel Companies Are Providing Relief to the COVID-19 Situation?
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major disruptions across all industries. The travel and hospitality industry, in particular, has been heavily impacted due to numerous travel restrictions around the world. Despite this, some companies are stepping up to contribute their services and expertise to address needs and concerns that have emerged from this crisis. Here’s a round-up of press releases from PR Newswire on this burgeoning movement.
Online Booking Companies
1. Airbnb to Help Provide Housing to 100,000 COVID-19 Responders
Online accommodation platform Airbnb has announced a new global initiative that provides free or subsidized housing to 100,000 healthcare professionals, relief workers and first responders, who are involved in COVID-19 relief efforts. The programme provides them with safe and convenient places to stay while they carry out their critical work. Airbnb is waiving all fees for the stays made under this arrangement.
2. Trip.com Group donates 3 million surgical masks to COVID-19 efforts
Online travel services provider Trip.com Group has donated three million surgical masks to support worldwide relief efforts of the pandemic. In addition to the initial round of donations, the initiative has since expanded to over 25 countries including Spain, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Hungary, Croatia, and Chile, among others.
Online hotel management and booking platform RedDoorz has launched “Red Heroes”, a new regional initiative that provides free temporary accommodation for emergency services and frontline healthcare staff battling COVID-19. The programme is rolled out across Southeast Asia in a bid to provide much-needed support during the pandemic as local authorities are facing a growing number of cases. As part of this movement, RedDoorz will also distribute health and well-being kits to healthcare staff.
Sustainable travel company Triip created the Stay Home Heroes program that incentivizes people to practice social distancing by staying at home while earning points that go towards booking tours and experiences in Triip’s global catalogue. Participants can also earn points by checking in at home with photos uploaded through the Stay Home Heroes app. Other ways of earning points include submitting travel photos and memories.
Airlines
1. COVID-19: Chinese airline partners support KLM
Dutch airline company KLM is working with three Chinese airline partners: China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Xiamen Airlines, which have donated tens of thousands of face masks and gloves to hospitals and healthcare facilities in the Netherlands.
2. Vietjet offers “SKY COVID CARE” insurance to all passengers amid the COVID-19 outbreak
Vietnamese budget airline Vietjet is offering the SKY COVID CARE insurance, which covers from VND20,000,000 (US$857) to a maximum of VND200,000,000 (US$8,570) worth of benefits for all passengers flying on its domestic flights in Vietnam from March 23 to June 30. Passengers are eligible for the insurance coverage and benefits from Vietjet within 30 days from their flight date, regardless of the source of the contagion.
Hotels
Vinpearl hotels and resorts in 17 provinces and cities across Vietnam simultaneously lighted up heart symbols on the exterior of their buildings from March 20 to 26. Through this gesture, the hospitality company hopes to show its appreciation to doctors, service personnel, and people in the frontline who are working to contain the pandemic. Vinpearl also hopes to showcase a message of love, humanity and a sense of belonging among loved ones.
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This blog post is contributed by Stephanie Lau, Senior Audience Development Executive at PR Newswire. Stephanie leads PR Newswire’s audience development team in Singapore. She oversees media partnerships, media database and organizes media events and interviews. Prior to joining PR Newswire, she had three years of experience working in PR agencies.
Stephanie.Lau 