The 2020 pandemic and previous years’ overtourism issues showed us both the benefits, the relevance, and the limits of the tourism, hospitality and leisure industries for society. We cannot foresee the future, but we can listen to challenges and start developing solutions.
So far we have received more than 900 responses in which these questions have been discussed::
How should we IMAGINE tourism now that we have an opportunity to reset the way we do business?
Which CHANGES would you like to see? If any?
What are your CHALLENGES and CONCERNS?
What are your IDEAS and SOLUTIONS to make it through the pandemic AND into a sustainable and innovative future of tourism?
In the name of the global tourism family, many thanks to every single one of you for the inspiring feedback. Your replies are summarized in the sections below.
Don't forget to share YOUR insights (for the first time or again, with new observations):
The 10 quotes below are updated every few minutes and elephant word-clouds are recalculated regularly based on your new survey entries. You have to refresh the page or revisit us every so often to see the changed content.
CHALLENGES
As an inbound adventure tour operator, the ban on international challenge presented the most immediate challenge with booking cancellations and postponements. Now, as we prepare to relax lockdown restrictions, the challenge is to provide travel experiences that enable guests to travel with us safely and to ensure the continued safety of the communities we visit. (May, 2020)
Tourism business representative
United Kingdom
Explore #TourismFromZero perspectives
Different perspectives on the selected topic: ALL
Tourism business representative
Bosnia Herzegovina
Tourist
Singapore
Tourism business representative
Slovakia
#From Instagram
TOURISM MEANS
Traveling is said to be the only thing you can buy that brings you happiness. That feeling of waking up and realizing you will finish your day in a new country where everything will be yet to explore is just crazy. Usually when I try to think of events that happened in the past in some particular time period I always use travel to navigate easier in my mind. For example, what have I been up to in September 2018? I know it's been a great month because I spent 7 days in Greece! Anything else I remember without thinking hard besides that week? Not really... What I am trying to say is that traveling is very impactful. Every journey changes you a bit and adds something to your life. That is what I love the most about it. (April, 2020)
Student
Slovenia
CHALLENGES
We lost about one month of our most busy season, thats a huge lost of money. For a small and pretty new business there is no savings, we did a big investment last summer and then we really needed the season to go on as planned. Our biggest challenge right now is to survive. In this strange situation we don´t know anything, will there be a summer season with tourists? How will the next winter be? How are we gonna plan? Do we need to sell away a lot of eqipment to lower our costs and then maybe don´t have enough capacity for next winter? To not know when this will end is the worst part. (April, 2020)
Tourism business representative
Sweden
CONCERNS
Hotel and hospitality businesses do not have the cash flow to continue before the pandemic is over. I expect many to go out of business. This is terrible for existing stakeholders and may potentially be opportunity for newcomers. (April, 2020)
Student
Japan
IDEAS
My ideas are for local restaurants to make "survival kits" of whatever their specialty is. If it's a pizza shop then "make your own pizza kits". If it's a bakery then you could have "make your own cookies kit". These are little ways to make money and give people something fun to do this this scary, unpredictable time. (April, 2020)
Local resident
United States
I CAN OFFER
Resources that each of us can contribute is humanity. It is important that even in such difficult times as these, no one forgets about the other. And because I am still quite young and fit, I can try to help others who are not doing so well as much as possible with all the possibilities I have. (December, 2020)
Student
Austria
I NEED
We need a solid, open-minded, propositive local government and entrepreneurs who are willing to collaborate. (October, 2020)
Student
Italy
SOLUTIONS
Everyone can show everyone that renunciation is possible and necessary in this situation. Meanwhile, you can put your money into small businesses to keep the economy running, even if it is only for one take away dinner. (April, 2020)
Student
Germany
EXPLOITATION
Social media influencers using it for attention; politicians making speeches to further their own agendas and blame various other parties instead of taking responsibility. Others whom are price gouging, being rude and inconsiderate, unfortunately this list goes on and on and on. (March, 2020)
Student
United States
OTHER / SPOTTED
We need to raise more awareness about the 'Anthropocene' and the need to move to a form of ecological tourism. (July, 2020)
