With Planet Earth in lockdown, our industry at a standstill and many of us in self-isolation or quarantine at home, or grounded, this is our blog for you – it’s a way to share stories within our community, to form solidarity and foster a sense of belonging.
Short essays on what we are each doing, how we are getting through this darkest hour in travel, how are we handling withdrawal symptoms from travel, what we intend to do with this down time, a word we want to focus on, a wish we have or simply, an important topic you want to share with your travel friends at this time.
Min Yoon, CEO, Tidesquare, South Korea
Blue skies and family time in Seoul
It is quite unfortunate that we are experiencing this pandemic, especially working in the tourism industry. We have to work more for our travellers to modify reservations and address urgent issues, and yet there have only been a few new bookings. Although this can be demoralising my colleagues have said that when they help solve our travellers’ emergency issue, they feel really proud at providing them with peace of mind.
Personally, and not considering the fear of infection, there have been some bright moments. Every morning I get to work with less traffic, I can go to popular restaurants without a reservation and, for the first time in 10 years, we have seen clear blue skies due to less pollution.
On a more serious note, as the “back to school” date has been postponed, I have been able to enjoy quality family time. This has been the best moment to build ‘solidarity’ of the family. By following social distance we all stay together at home, sharing meals, making conversation, enjoying video games, listening to my little girl’s favourite BTS songs, watching Korean zombie dramas with my boy. This might be the biggest crisis of this generation, but it is also giving us time to reflect on what is really important, which we were forgetting.
The passion thing: Curiosity
Curiosity is a magical word for me. Curiosity is the starting point of everything: every decision, path and event. I have always wondered what life is like in other countries: when I travel I love watching people on the streets, eat local food and experience cultures. It was this curiosity that led me to the travel industry.
I believe curiosity is one of the most powerful attributes of leadership: without curiosity, maybe you don’t know what’s happening in your team exactly, you don’t care as much on what is happening outside of your company or your industry. Curiosity gives you the motivation and drive to improve, challenge, and compete in the market.
From a personal standpoint, I am still curious about my wife. I still wonder about her favourite song, what movies she wants to watch and why she loves it, what she likes to eat or what she will wear today even though we have been married for 20 years. Yes, she is the love of my life. Curiosity still continues to define me.
Note: We will be running this blog for as long as we need to, to get us through this. If you wish to contribute, please send your essays to Siew Hoon. Send images too, it’s your story.
• Featured image credit (blue skies over Seoul): leungchopan/Getty Images
