I have to laugh when I see travel “influencers” predict that mass tourism will be a thing of the past post-COVID-19. The joke is on them if they think that’s true.
Especially when I read a report in Condé Nast Traveler magazine that says “across the industry, cruise lines, from large to small, ocean-going to river-cruising, are seeing strong demand, and bookings for 2021 cruises are going fast.”
We’re not even totally out of the pandemic and already people are making a beeline to cruise ships, the floating petri dishes for COVID-19 and all the pandemics to follow.
Oh, and if you think destinations in Europe, or for that matter Canada and the U.S., will turn away those hordes of Chinese sightseers who overrun tourist attractions, much to the chagrin of other travellers, think again. The Chinese, with their built-up penchant to “buy, buy, buy,” will be welcomed everywhere once the all clear is given.
Blimey, Britain’s tourism board is even rebranding 101 of the country’s most famous places and people with Chinese monikers to help Mandarin-speaking visitors feel more at home when they come back en masse. Not surprising, since Chinese tourists spent a whopping 1.7 billion pounds ($3 billion CDN) when they last visited the United Kingdom in 2019. Some of the Chinese monikers are actually quite interesting — some even hilarious. Examples:

Above: Going forward, Mr. Bean will now be known as "funny beans" to the Chinese.

• The Beatles: Pi Tou Shi (Direct translation: gentlemen with long hair),
• Highland Games: Qun Ying Hui (strong-man skirt party),
• Stonehenge: Ju Shi Zhen (huge stone clusters),
• Mr. Bean (played by actor Rowan Atkinson): Han Dou (funny beans),
• Loch Lomond: Luó mèng hú (mountain lakes get you drunk on dreams),
• London’s The Shard office tower: Zhai Xing Ta (a tower allowing us to pluck stars from the sky),
• Hadrian’s Wall: Yong Heng Zhi Ji (wall of eternity),
• Charming Stoke-on Trent: Wan Bo Tao Ci (diverse ceramics),
• Edinburgh: Ai Ding Bao (a castle named Ai Ding),
• Cambridge: Jian Qiao (sword bridge),
• Buckingham Palace: Bai Jin Han Gong (a white, gold and splendid palace),
• Shakespeare: Sha Weng (Mr. Sha),
• The Loch Ness Monster: Ni Si Hu An Ying (The Loch Ness shadow),
• Benedict Cumberbatch: Juan Fu  (curly blessing).
They’ve even come up with a short Chinese moniker for the Welsh town with the world’s longest name,
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. In Chinese it will be known simply as Jian Feu Cun (healthy lung village).
Post COVID-19, the rallying cry for countries who have seen their GDPs shrink to near zero in the past 18 months is sure to be “damn the disease, full speed ahead!”
Don’t be influenced into thinking anything will change — mass tourism is here to stay, folks.