10 Ways to Cope with the Coronavirus Outbreak

At London Heathrow today, entire corridors of the airport were entirely void of people - on what would otherwise be a frenetic Saturday morning. I estimate there were about 113 people on my flight to San Francisco, well less than half of the normal 266 passenger capacity for this plane.

It’s a fact that fewer people than ever are traveling right now due to fear of the coronavirus. What this means for culinary tourism professionals like you is that your source of income - whether customers or visitors - is now at risk. Travelers are taking fewer food/wine/beer tours. Vacationers are taking fewer cooking lessons in people’s homes. People are visiting wineries and breweries less. And because there are fewer travelers, restaurants are emptier than normal. These are just a few of the ways that our industry is being affected.

The coronavirus crisis is worrisome, but when life gives you lemons, we should be making lemonade. While we are not making light of the current global crisis, we prefer to take a positive approach and look at tactics that will help our industry to survive and prepare for the economic recovery that will eventually come.

We asked our global culinary tourism community how the crisis is impacting you, your business or your destination. We took your concerns and frustrations and compiled a list of recommendations to help you cope until things get back to normal. Until then, we hope and pray for everyone’s safety, and hope the ideas below will help you to cope.

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