How Covid Has Changed Travel Photos

As restrictions around the world begin to lift, and slowly but surely, travel begins to resume- how we represent travel in visual imagery looks dramatically different than in the past. Not only are masks commonplace (or required) in heavily trafficked travel areas such as hotels, airports, trains, and planes- but how we travel, what we wear, and how we stay safe looks different to. This means that marketing agencies and travel tourism operators need to adjust how they market travel in this new Covid world.

Positive Covid Travel Images Are Needed in Today’s Travel Market

As more and more borders begin to lift and travel resumes in destinations across the globe, our clients are demanding new images that represent this shift in time. No longer are governments and tourism boards only mandating “stay-at-home” marketing measures- travel is slowly but surely beginning to resurface in people’s minds. As more people are given access to vaccinations, the sky is beginning to brighten as we think about the exciting activities we can resume- including travel.

Travel tourism marketing is more than just destination marketing and experiences- it’s also about the journey to get to the destination. In this recent survey, one-third of Americans say that they are more likely to purchase travel insurance now than before Covid. This means that insurance operators, travel agents, and airlines are going to have the opportunity to positively market travel insurance and trip preparation to their guests as they begin to embark on new journeys and adventures abroad.  

Airports look a little different too. How we use the basic tools that we’ve become accustomed to in airports have dramatically changed. From increased use of hand sanitizer, temperature checks, and even the possible inclusion of more biosecurity measures in airports- how we represent airports looks different in post Covid travel imagery.

International travel is on the horizon in many parts of the world, an exciting development for intrepid wanderers looking for a new adventure. Travel industry experts are predicting that as vaccines and increased safety measures are rolled out, the number of people who will be able to travel internationally could increase dramatically by this summer. The European Union is set to let fully vaccinated Americans travel this summer, Iceland is allowing all travellers who can show a certificate of full vaccination in their borders- and we’re sure more announcements like this are to come.

The Making of Our Post Covid Travel Image Collection

That brings us to our most recent shoot, which took place at the Cape Town International Airport. While this wasn’t the first time our team has shot in an airport, the logistics of how we accomplished this shoot with Covid restrictions in mind looked incredibly different. “Working in an airport environment with multiple security procedures in place makes it a very challenging place to shoot,” says Jacob Lund, who was on set for the shoot. Luckily, our team was able to work with the location to ensure we captured representative Covid travel imagery for our clients to use, taking the logistical challenges out of their hands. 

The entire photoshoot was done while the airport was in operation. Airport operations were our first priority, ensuring that we had adequate space to shoot while accommodating staff working at the airport, and guests travelling through the airport. It takes a production team of extensive experience to accomplish this - constantly pivoting and maintaining a respectful distance between our staff and the rest of the airport operations.

In a time that’s quickly changing, it was important for us to have images that truly represented post-COVID travel that can be useable and adaptable around the world- not just specific to Cape Town or South Africa.

Covid Travel Images - What’s Next?

As the world continues to adapt to changing restrictions, lifts on travel, and as the travel and tourism industries reignite- our team is on the lookout for new opportunities to capture that represent this shift in travel thinking. After a year of pandemic lockdowns, people are looking to travel- and more than likely, will be embarking on trips as soon as they can. Certain restrictions will change, but some such as enhanced cleaning protocols and safe check-in policies at hotels- are more than likely here to stay. How we transit through hotels and nightly rentals, taxis and airplanes, trains and buses- has visually shifted. Combining the same thinking that we used to create our Vaccination Stock Images collection and this Covid Travel Images Collection, travel imagery next year has the potential to look vastly different. If you have a need for travel images that you don’t see in this collection- get in touch with us. We’re known to grant a wish or two.