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“We are losing millions in our Cayman operations and we certainly will not have a chance to stay in business if we don’t look to operate elsewhere.”
Tibbetts said being in more than one location would give his business the versatility to survive future potential shocks to the industry.
And this...is powerful. It's easy to unconsciously fall into thinking of this pandemic as a 'one off' thing. Some predicted a pandemic would come for years, and it's likely another will eventually. I've wondered about the cruise ship industry, which I was told lost around 20 billion dollars in 2020 alone and was basically shut down in the U.S. (a large portion of the worldwide cruising market) for over 15 months. The big names seem to be weathering this pandemic...but how will they financially catch up and be ready for the next one? Royal Caribbean's moving their ship Adventure of the Seas to Nassau, Bahamas, to evade CDC control was a blip in the cruise market...but perhaps a sign of things to come?
Similarly, businesses like this one read the writing on the wall as 'Diversify or die.'
I wonder if other dive op.s large enough to diversify (as Buddy Dive tried to do years ago in Dominica) are looking around to see what sites with good diving have more 'liberal' pandemic era tourism policies? And whether this will put more obscure dive destinations (like South Caicos) on the map?
If so, wonder which look viable? We live in interesting times.
We stayed there many times, first time when it had barely opened. They actually lasted a lot of years. I think their problem was failure to reinvest in the place. What started basic but nice enough, got dumpier and dumpier with time. I don't know if they didn't have the money to refresh and fix things, or just preferred to milk what they could get out of it before it got sold.On the other hand, Habitat tried to diversify years ago. We actually stayed at Habitat Curacao for one vacation. It was a nice resort with very good diving, but it didn't last long before Habitat pulled out but I don't know why.
And this...is powerful. It's easy to unconsciously fall into thinking of this pandemic as a 'one off' thing. Some predicted a pandemic would come for years, and it's likely another will eventually. I've wondered about the cruise ship industry, which I was told lost around 20 billion dollars in 2020 alone and was basically shut down in the U.S. (a large portion of the worldwide cruising market) for over 15 months. The big names seem to be weathering this pandemic...but how will they financially catch up and be ready for the next one? Royal Caribbean's moving their ship Adventure of the Seas to Nassau, Bahamas, to evade CDC control was a blip in the cruise market...but perhaps a sign of things to come?
Similarly, businesses like this one read the writing on the wall as 'Diversify or die.'
I wonder if other dive op.s large enough to diversify (as Buddy Dive tried to do years ago in Dominica) are looking around to see what sites with good diving have more 'liberal' pandemic era tourism policies? And whether this will put more obscure dive destinations (like South Caicos) on the map?
If so, wonder which look viable? We live in interesting times.
People have proven that they can work effectively from home so do companies really need to lease/maintain/pay taxes on big, expensive office buildings?
What is the logical answer for business owners who also have a significant interest in real estate close to their businesses? Back to the office you go!
And there's more to it. It's jumping to conclusions to think some 'knowledge worker' types performing capably temporarily during the pandemic means work-from-home is equal to office work on a permanent basis. Putting people in an office...
1.) Removes distractions from home.
2.) Creates a level of monitoring that's natural and less offensive. If you want to 'watch' or 'check on' an employee at home, what do you do...install surveillance equipment in the home? A 'house arrest' ankle bracelet so you know he doesn't leave the home office outside lunch?
3.) Creates an in-person social network with spontaneous collaboration opportunities.
4.) Provides a social structure to encourage a work focus. The pandemic tested people who've been conditioned long-term in traditional office settings to short-term work-from-home employment. It did not reveal the long-term effects of having people who've never worked in offices and only worked from home.
People can work productively from home long-term, much like they can 'eat right,' get plenty of exercise, and remain lean and fit long-term. Uh-oh...