It was Winston Churchill who famously said, 'I am an optimist, it does not seem too much use being anything else' and through this pandemic, most of us who are still in travel have chosen to be optimistic.

What’s the alternative?

But there are days when even the strongest, most resilient leaders falter. As the pandemic wears on and travel remains super depressed in Asia Pacific, it’s been harder and harder to keep that chin up.

“Trying to be the head cheerleader, it’s a tough gig” or “just had to raise new round of funds to stay afloat till early next year” are some of the personal messages I have received from friends who run companies, big or small, over the past couple of weeks.

One said, “it’s exhausting to be optimistic” while another said, “we’re beginning to even be cynical about our own optimism”.

Yet, for those whose businesses depend on cross-border regional travel, optimism is the about the only fuel we in Asia Pacific have had to run on and it was Helen Keller who said, “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”

The good news is, we who work in travel are inherently optimistic. It’s almost a prerequisite to be an optimist to hold a job in travel, whether in good, bad or indifferent times – indeed, only optimists need apply.

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