Travel – 1853 Communications

Global Communications

Have you ever wondered how advertising, public relations, communications, etc. are in other countries? I never really wondered too much about it until I visited Ireland in May 2022.

While shopping, I noticed how differently they advertised their products. I could not really tell what most products were unless I got a good look at it, I am not sure if that was the goal to have more people pick up the product, but I was so used to automatically knowing what everything was in America based off of the huge colorful bold letters that pop out in your face.

To advertise the country as a whole, there is a huge focus on the Cliffs of Moher. Mostly every post, newsletter, etc, that is advertising the country always mentions the cliffs. It is very different from America, considering how big it is no one would really be able to pick one tourist attraction to bring in more tourists.

Where I was staying, a very small town in the county of Clare called Ballyvaughan, advertisements were basically nonexistent. In such a small town, the only thing I really saw that was advertising anything was a small board in the only grocery shop in town, basically promoting farmers markets and charity events.

It was amazing to see how other countries live not so engulfed by huge companies and advertisements taking over everywhere, the main thing they really cared about in Ballyvaughan was supporting each other and staying local. It was such a huge transition for me considering I was born and raised in Philadelphia. I would love to visit Ballyvaughan again some day, and even explore the rest of Ireland to see if different parts of the country are the same or different when it comes to advertising and all. Ireland is really a beautiful country with lots to do, they even got me advertising the whole country for them!

How Will Travel Change?

COVID-19 has taken the world by storm. Classes have been canceled, jobs have been lost, and people are stuck staying at home. A lot of industries have been negatively impacted by the current situation, especially those deemed as a nonessential business. According to CNBC, the unemployment rate in the United States has reached over 30 million people (Cox). One industry that has been particularly impacted is the airline industry. Travel has come to a stop as a way to slow down the transmission of the novel coronavirus. With this illness being completely unknown, there is a lack of treatment. Experts are also unsure if people can get the disease more than once, and these uncertainties make returning to normalcy difficult as it is important to stay safe. It is essential for people to stay home to protect the immune-compromised populations and to prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed with patients. Business Insider reported that 64 global airlines had stopped flights (Pallini). Looking back at the SARS pandemic in 2003, one of the main ways the disease was spread was through air travel. Flying has connected the world in ways that seemed impossible, but it is dangerous for disease spread.

As different states slowly begin to reopen with restrictions, so too are airlines. A huge concern is how airline operations will change to ensure the safety of travelers. On April 23, the New York Post reported a passenger’s experience on American Airlines, in which a flight was completely packed and many people were not wearing masks. This completely goes against the CDC recommendation of social distancing due to the close seating. Concerns were high for that passenger when an airline representative told the customer that “if American Airlines sells 150 seats, they will board 150 seats — it’s a business,” (Steinbuch). For the average consumer, it is hard to understand exactly what goes on with this disease as information is constantly being put out into the world. This information can be true, but there is misinformation that can fly off the rail. The unknown makes it more difficult for people to understand and take precautions for the situation the world is facing.

After the situation on that American Airlines flight occurred, changes have been made to ensure that social distancing measures will be practiced (Steinbuch). When the pandemic eases down and flights start to become more booked, there will still be concerns surrounding the safety of passengers. Many flights may become cheaper due to the fact that the majority of people are now unemployed (Cullen). Even with flight prices decreases, there still may be even greater caution for where people are traveling. There may be a limited number of flights that exist due to this pandemic and fewer people will most likely be allowed on flights until a vaccine is found (Cullen).