For many in the industry, within the space of 48 hours, there appears to be plenty to celebrate.
Former-vice president Joe Biden and Kamala Harris's win in the U.S. presidential race (bar any successful legal challenges from the incumbent, of course) came first.
The political euphoria of that victory has far-reaching consequences for the travel industry, not least around how when in office they tackle the coronavirus pandemic during what is expected to be a brutally tough few months ahead in the U.S. and elsewhere around the world.
News released just two days later, outlining how development of one of the COVID-19 vaccines has prevented more than 90% of people that were part of a trial from contracting the virus, is certainly another significant moment in the story of 2020 so far, too.
It is arguably the first truly positive bit of news since the outbreak in December 2019, with publicly listed travel companies experiencing enormous gains on their stock prices on Monday this week.
The roll-out of that vaccine will, of course, will be carefully managed and it is unlikely that a freshly jabbed, global population will immediately be on the road again.
But this period of optimism should hopefully not be forgotten too quickly - in fact, travel brands should ride that wave of positive news and make sure they consider all the opportunities for change that are available.
The word "reset" has been used a lot over the course of 2020 - with good reason. There has not been a period in the history of the industry when such a moment has arrived when almost every aspect of the industry has been evaluated so closely.
Suppliers, intermediaries, technology vendors and tourism authorities have been able to scrutinize how they operated pre-pandemic and take a moment (or months) to reflect on how they could be better brands for travelers, for partners and for the good of the industry as a whole.
At least, this is the theory that should have been followed.
Put simply: If the chaos of 2020 is swiftly put behind us, without any consideration for improving processes, management of brands and understanding the sector's impact on the wider world, then the devastating aspects of what happened this year (huge job losses, brands closed, etc.) will be in vain.
This is the moment to think about the environment and the management of tourism and the destinations that they flock to in their millions.
It is also period where brands that have come under fire for the way they treat partners realize that better relationships make for better outcomes for everyone.
Brands in the industry should be thinking about how they not just talk a good game when it comes to diversity and inclusion, but act on it - for both their workforces and customers.
And those that invest so much money in the future of the industry, by way of backing new businesses and ideas, should find themselves pondering all of the aforementioned elements when they consider their next bets.
There is a new legacy that the industry can build for itself as a result of what has happened in 2020. Many are hoping that the leaders will recognize the opportunities that they have in front of them.
* Sessions to catch at The Phocuswright Conference 2020:
- Spotlight: Improvement Needed - Grading the Travel Industry on Diversity & Inclusion
- The Future of Destinations: From Overtourism to Sustainable Tourism
- Futureproofing: Beyond Innovation
- Executive Roundtable: Opportunity in Adversity
- Executive Interview with Peter Kern of Expedia Group: Reinventing the OTA
- Executive Roundtable: To the Brink and Back
- Executive Interview with Sean Menke of Sabre: GDS Reinvented… Again
The Phocuswright Conference 2020
Tickets, program, speaker line-up so far and more.