Pandemic Costs Africa Nearly $55 Billion in Lost Travel and Tourism

Thomas Mukoya

An elephant grazes among wildebeests and zebras during a census at the Amboseli National Park, 290 km (188 miles) southeast of Kenya’s capital Nairobi, October 9, 2013. Thomas Mukoya

Skift Take: The pandemic threatens an economic whiplash in Africa that could be worse than the disease itself. But the upside for wildlife is that trophy hunting has nearly stopped.

— Sean O’Neill

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Marriott Says Trump Administration Demanded It to Shutter Cuba Hotel Operations

Falkenpost / Pixabay

Four years after Starwood became the first U.S. hotel operator to run a hotel in Cuba since the 1959 revolution, Marriott — which bought Starwood in 2016 — says the Trump administration wants it to end operations. Falkenpost / Pixabay

Skift Take: Marriott’s planned Cuban expansion may become a sacrificial byproduct of the Trump administration’s quest to appeal to Cuban-American Florida voters in the 2020 presidential campaign.

— Cameron Sperance

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Travel Sector Remains Thorn in a Falling U.S. Unemployment Rate Defying Expectations

William Warby / Flickr

The U.S. unemployment rate dropped to 13.3 percent in May, but the travel sector is still seeing brutally high numbers. William Warby / Flickr

Skift Take: The travel industry shouldn’t sing yet — the hospitality and leisure unemployment rate fell three points in May, but the sector is still in a decimated place from where it was a year ago.

— Cameron Sperance

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What South Africa’s Virus Protocols Tell Us About Balancing a Travel Economy With a Nation’s Health

Reuters

South Africa president Cyril Ramaphosa imposed strict lockdown measures early on in the crisis. Reuters

Skift Take: South Africa is understandably cautious as it approaches winter, and doing all it can to stave off a health crisis. But its strict and prolonged protocols might end up doing more harm than good.

— Matthew Parsons

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