This week’s broadcast of Eye on Travel comes from Oceanside, California. Joining Peter this week is International President of the Association of Flight Attendants Sara Nelson, who reports on what all the proposed furloughs of airline employees means and what the airlines might look like after October 1st. Then, a special report from the gulf — hotel and travel industry icon Jerry Inzerillo calls in from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with a global hospitality update on how — and how fast — the industry is recovering. Maritime historian Peter Knego with a sobering report on how many cruise ships are sailing — one way — to the breakers to be scrapped. And then, on a much lighter note, we’ll hit the beach with an update on Southern California and Oceanside as it opens up to visitors. We’ll look at what’s open, the history, the booming food culture (and the surprisingly diverse restaurant scene with Food Network judge Troy Johnson). And of course, your travel questions get answered. There’s all of this and more on this week’s broadcast of Eye on Travel from Oceanside, California.

Tune in to PeterGreenberg.com   from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. ET for the latest Eye on Travel on Saturday, August 29, 2020

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Sara Nelson, International President of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, speaks about how the airline industry fell to only 3% demand in March. The relief it got from the government was only through September 30th, which means that October 1st may be a very dark day across the entire industry. There was hope that there would be an end in sight for the pandemic, and sadly we are still in the middle of it. Because it takes so much advance planning for routes, scheduling, and other aspects of the airline industry, people have already started getting advance furlough notices. If you have 20 years seniority, you are on the cusp of the furlough list. This is one of the ripple effects throughout that industry, but she discusses how it really affects the entire economy. She believes that the only way for airlines to continue to support thousands of jobs is for there to be an extension of Payroll Protection.

Jerry Inzerillo, CEO of Diriyah Gate Development Authority (Riyadh, Saudia Arabia), explains how he comes from a place of die-hard optimism. Travel has always been able to survive both political and natural strife, and he believes that the industry will come back stronger than before when this is all over. Then, he dissects why the fallout from this pandemic was so devastating to travel. People come to him because he’s weathered past difficulties. But he says you have to be realistic about this industry not recovering even within the next six months to a year. Instead, the global tourism economy needs to look at least 18 months. He believes with a heavy heart that it will be a very bumpy road, even if there is a vaccine. He also gives a report on how Covid-19 has impacted the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Currently, its air space is closed, and it’s treating this virus seriously, working to contain and eliminate it from the country.

John Daniels, Head of Learn to Rip Surf, describes the ocean of Oceanside and why it makes for good surfing. It’s a condition-based beach and he will only take beginners out when it’s safe to do so. Although there’s surfing year round, the best waves are in the winter, between November and January. He says that this has been one of his busiest summers as people try to get outdoors and do something active while practicing social distancing.

Kristi Hawthorne, VP of Events at Oceanside Historical Society, details the history of Oceanside from its beginnings as a small military beach to its current renaissance. It has the longest wooden pier on the West Coast. Because early piers did not withstand weather, this is the sixth iteration of the pier. She also speaks about the oral history program she started with the historical society. Then, she tells us about how there’s understandably a lot of surf history, which you can experience at the Surf Museum. There are a lot of layers to the history here, including a tattoo museum as well as country music roots.

Leslee Gaul, CEO of Visit Oceanside, depicts how the city handled reopening in mid-June and is often changing rules. She says that the silver lining of Oceanside is that there’s 3.5 miles of beaches, and you can do anything from skydiving to skiing. She also shares how restaurants pivoting and utilizing outdoor spaces.

Peter Knego, Cruise Ship Historian, explains how the average life of ships only used to be around 20 to 30 years, but that is changing due to the pandemic. He explains how many ships could have lived on for at least 10 years before being scrapped. Not everyone wants to be on a 5,000 passenger ship, and sadly ships of varying sizes are starting to disappear. He says that this has been expedited by Covid-19.

Troy Johnson, Author, TV Host, Food Network judge and Food Critic for San Diego Magazine, says how Oceanside was seen as an underdog beach in San Diego and that people here are fiercely local. It is still one of the few beach locations with affordable retail and restaurant spaces. He passionately details the food renaissance of Oceanside and how its neighbor of San Diego, as well as other larger cities in the area, helped infuse it with restaurants from some of the top chefs looking to do something different. People who grew up here tend not to leave here, because people are so proud of this place and want to create restaurants and cooking that enriches the community. He shares some of the best food spots to visit in Oceanside and some of the places that may surprise you. His favorite is Wrench and Rodent Seabasstropub. While the name may not be appealing, it has the best sushi in Oceanside.

Maria Mingalone, Oceanside Museum of Art, describes the museum’s virtual events and how it’s just as busy, if not more so than ever. It has hosted a robust amount of virtual events online. She says that one of the best parts about focusing on virtual experiences is that people from all over the world are able to participate. The museum has hosted online exhibitions, lecture series, and even a virtual art auction. Visit the museum’s website, https://oma-online.org/, for upcoming online events for art lovers and artists.