A post-coronavirus recovery plan for international retail

Countries world-wide have been struggling to contain and combat the coronavirus and limit its impact on human life. We support these efforts and our thoughts are with the people of China in particular who have been most affected by this outbreak.

A major element of the effort to restrict the spread of coronavirus has been the dramatic reduction in travel to and from China. Airlines have effectively ceased flights from China until such time as the outbreak has been controlled. This is clearly a right and necessary response.

Once the outbreak has been controlled, governments around the world will need to look at how to restore normality in international tourism, which is so important to the global economy.

The Association of International Retail (AIR) has produced a menu of actions for both government and business which will help to ensure that Chinese visitors return to the UK post-coronavirus.

While the immediate priority must be to combat the spread of the virus, work can start on preparing to bounce back once the threat has passed. The time lag between proposing new ideas and having them accepted and implemented is such that initial planning needs to take place now.

You can read AIR's report here.