Hospitality & leisure

Introduction: A new way to play

When the pandemic caused widespread lockdowns, many worried about work – after all, we all need to put food on the table. But what about when we want to eat at a restaurant table? Not only were we curtailed at work, but also at play; our leisure pursuits were circumscribed by necessity – and, in turn, that had a huge effect on the many people who are employed in the service industries.

And so began a new way of thinking as businesses struggled to survive, let alone thrive. From cafes and restaurants to pubs and hotels, leisure destinations had to rethink their offerings – as did similar industries such as theater, which also relied on us spending our spare time and money. The "new normal" may be very different, but everyone's got to earn their corn – and CGTN Europe explored the ways they're trying to do that.

Reinventing drama on the street

With French theaters still closed, a group of actors and playwrights in Paris have tried to reinvent their shows, so they can continue to put on performances while adhering to social-distancing and sanitary measures.

Their new play is called Contact – but ironically, there's none involved. It's a new form of theater created ad hoc for post-lockdown times: immersive but socially-distanced silent acting.

The city acts as the stage as the actors move through its streets, accompanied only by the buzz of a Parisian evening and followed by the audience, listening along to the pre-recorded script. CGTN Europe’s Ross Cullen joined the mobile audience.

The New Normal: Hospitality

With cafes, bars and restaurants forced to close and the streets deserted, many workers in the hospitality sector have been furloughed – or have been placed on other job-protection schemes. Business owners and suppliers have faced a difficult situation with produce, including bartenders and publicans who have been forced to throw gallons of beer down the drain. So what is next for the industry? 

CGTN asked a chef, a waiter and an industry representative what the lockdown meant for them and what they thought governments and businesses could do in the future to make hospitality hospitable again. 

Alpar Bodo is a waiter at Kino Cafe in the Hungarian capital Budapest. After three months waiting at home, rather than waiting on tables, he's glad to be back. But he said restrictions and new regulations risked putting off customers. So, even though it's better than having to rely on his wife to support their family with only one income, it's not quite back to normal.

Pascal Aussignac is a Michelin-starred chef at Club Gascon in London. His group of restaurants, bistros and a delicatessen focus on the culinary style of Gascony, a region in southern France. He's been able to keep working on take-away food from his kitchen, but has been forced to furlough nearly all his staff. 

Kate Nicholls is the CEO of UK Hospitality, which represents more than 700 companies in a sector that employs 2.9 million people. In many ways, she is the voice of British restaurants and nightlife, so she has been busy communicating what the industry needs and ensuring the government does not put the sector at risk – either health-wise or financially.

The New Normal: Aviation

With passenger traffic dropping sharply as the pandemic spread, stringent lockdowns and travel restrictions left airlines reeling. The feeling of despondency became evident as multiple carriers urge for bailouts and other forms of assistance from governments.

To understand more about how airlines are trying to deal with the crisis, CGTN Europe asked an airline executive, a union leader and passengers to discuss the pressing issues and what the future holds for the beleaguered sector.

Owain Jones is the managing director of Wizz Air UK, a Hungarian low-cost airline. The carrier has been affected by the fallout of the outbreak but still continues to fly and remains hopeful that the situation will improve with time.

Stefan Schwerthelm, a board member of the German flight attendant union UFO, spells out clearly the challenges faced by operators and the urgent measures required to instil confidence in passengers and protect the interests of staff.

We also spoke to passengers at Madrid's Barajas airport to get an idea of the troubles faced by many of them. Rafael Martinez lives on the island of Fuerteventura and was trying to get home to visit his sick mother in northwest Spain. Rafael expressed concerns about how air travel might change in the foreseeable future and raised a series of pertinent points that need to be addressed by the airline management and authorities.