Voices of Clarity: The Next Day of Tourism as Foreseen by 32 Industry Experts

Travelworks Public Relations has released its second white paper which focuses on the future of tourism, the changes that will come and the road to recovery, in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Titled “Voices of Clarity”, the white paper includes the views of 32 prominent hospitality leaders and professionals from Greece, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United States.

“Voices of Clarity is our effort to incorporate the insights and thoughts of 32 prominent hospitality leaders and professionals across Europe & the Americas into one document… In these times of uncertainty, an element of clarity is invaluable. I truly hope this second white paper will be of help,” said Kostas Panagakis, the founder & managing director of Travelworks PR.

The white paper includes views on a series of issues relating to tourism, including business, sales, distribution, marketing, communication, architecture and education.

“Voices of Clarity” follows Travelworks’ first white paper Season 21 “Roadmap to Recovery”, which was released Amid the coronavirus pandemic in April and scratched the surface of the greater picture, touching on the massive changes that began to take place within the industry.

The white paper includes the insights and thoughts of:

Following are excerpts of a few views as “heard” by the “Voices of Clarity”:

Angela Gerekou, GNTO: “Everything moves in cycles so we must act wisely and reprogram, yes reprogram! Focus, strength, and calm thinking /are the tools to go forward during uncertain times. We ought it to ourselves and to our children, to discover the hidden positives even during a pandemic. Adapt and better oneself as well as learn how to apply improvements in the professional world. Finally, I want to take a moment to acknowledge that this is a stressful time for everyone. I encourage you all to take care of yourselves and your families, during the difficult days ahead.”

Ioanna Papadopoulou, AIA: “By entering the pandemic phase, with locked- down societies and grounding of almost all airlines worldwide, aviation embarked on an uncharted “non-journey”. The industry which is tantamount to charts, navigation and journeying has now lost its coordinates; to navigate the “De-COVIDization” era, it urgently needs to re-build new aviation charts and redefine and adapt its course based on new coordinates.”

Quentin Desurmont, Traveler Made: “Regional travel will gain traction, but this does not necessarily mean a disruption in luxury travel. The idea that long-haul travel is reserved for the upper-class customer segment belongs to the past. People will – and should – stop travelling across the world just to lock themselves in a fancy resort that resembles nothing of the local ambience & experience… A seasoned travel designer will deliver value even within the borders of your country. The key attribute is the quality of the experience and its relevance to the specific needs of each traveller. ”

Dr. Dimitrios Diamantis, Les Roches: “The immediate future will be enigmatic in terms on how the industry will respond. With a number of economies depending on tourism as a contributor to their balance of payments, certain countries have already started to take “small steps” to a new normality. This norm will be different. Consumers will be hesitant at start, social distancing may take some time to become a social interaction and as such the travel may start being slow at first… in the medium term, the industry will show signs of recovery, once the consumer gets the confidence that there is no health threat to the places that they visit.”

Maria Theofanopoulou, GTP: “Notably, now is a unique opportunity to take a step backwards and press the ‘reset button’. It is the best opportunity we have to start envisioning the destinations and the companies operating within as we have always wanted. To reinvent and build more sustainable strategies. To start shifting our perspective about ‘who we are’ to what community value we bring. We need to bring value that others do not have… This crisis is an opportunity to bring together all involved and to agree upon a vision which should then deploy a wholistic strategy to follow. ”

George Kyvernitis, Kyvernitis Travel Companies: “Things will move, things will change, and we need to be in the forefront of this change as we have been in the past through our stances, our families, but also our companies. This so called “next day” would come to the hospitality industry as well, and we will be speaking for a new norm in our businesses, our countries, our lives. People will still have the desire to travel, explore and discover but the experience will be different, and how this experience will be shaped, it is in our hands to make as human and alive as possible.”

Jon Makhmaltchi, J.MAK Hospitality: “Now is the time to be a true partner. Local law may protect deposits on reservations but keep in mind travel advisors will remember how you treated them and their clients during this crisis. Those who work to find the best common solution will succeed in the long run. Now is also a good time to show the personality behind the hospitality as we say. Tell stories that share the experience and the people behind the property, people want the human not the business side right now.”

Dimitrios Buhalis, Bournemouth University: “Tourism companies and regions are desperate to #ReigniteTourism around the world. They need to support the economy and enterprises to generate the much-needed employment and economic benefits. It is really painful to see so many aircraft parked on airports around the world and to see so many communities that desperately expect tourism income to survive. However, it is clear that this needs to happen very carefully to avoid more deaths. We need to be alert, observe all information, use smart methodologies and apply agility as we find a new normal in the tourism industry. Preparation, agility and fast and calculated reactions are key to survival. Technology empowered smart and agile management and marketing will support us to survive in the short term.”

Press here to “listen” all of the “Voices of Clarity” by Travelworks.