TOURISM MEANS

At its best, tourism is the chance to connect with people and nature and to focus on a life not defined by productivity. (April, 2020)

Inventor, consultant

France

CHALLENGES

Regarding the idea of perpetuating cleaning and security measures in the food and beverage industry, I put myself in the consumer’s shoes – even if in the past the decision to return to a tourist destination was not directly influenced by this aspect, I believe that in the future cleanliness and security will play a decisive role for the holiday option. (July, 2020)

Tourism business representative

Romania

CONCERNS

Employees need protection but have no way to social distance without effectively completing the given work related tasks. The risks are taken due to hotels being an essential business. Some hotels have closed while others aren't, it is decided on a case by case basis by the ownership and local government. (April, 2020)

Tourism employee

United States

IDEAS

The extra time students hopefully have during quarantine could be used for the following things:

- Complete projects (even if they’re not assigned by school) to demonstrate different facets of my skill set, for example, publishing a paper or article on LinkedIn analyzing the economic impacts of COVID-19 on a specific hospitality company (such as Marriott, Disney, Carnival, etc.), including suggestions for recovery.

- Get certifications or complete LinkedIn Learning classes to demonstrate interest and/or expertise in a certain skill, ex) Google AdWords, Cvent, Microsoft Suite, etc.

- Create a digital portfolio showcasing accomplishments during college.

- Learn an in-demand skill that is relevant to companies that are not being as terribly impacted as the hospitality and tourism industry. For example, learning coding languages, as IT is a needed skill presently to support means of digital connection. (April, 2020)

Student

United States

I CAN OFFER

I work in the hotel management in a luxury castle. There we can provide our guests the maximum comfort with a 8 ha garden (and we only have 25 rooms/suits) so it is perfect for guests, who want a short break from there everyday life, who wants to relaxe, who wants to enjoy the nature.

So nowadays it is necessary to provide your guests everything they want. That they leave your hotel with a smile. (October, 2020)

Student

Austria

I NEED

Organizations that will lobby global governments on behalf of the economy to create a more stable business environment. (July, 2020)

Tourism business representative

Slovenia

SOLUTIONS

Moving forward, I believe all hospitality companies from the executives to the property GM should have a detailed plan on how to adapt their businesses during pandemics. This will not be the last time we face a problem like this. (March, 2020)

Student

United States

EXPLOITATION

There have been cases I heard of where companies would apply for financial support from the government, even though they where not entitled to get it and had no real need for it. (June, 2020)

Student

Austria

OTHER / SPOTTED

It's been about 30 years since I started this job. I have experienced the collapse of the Internet bubble, the Lehman shock, the Great East Japan Earthquake, and so on. Marketing techniques such as sales measures, cost control, and attracting customers during these times are the know-how of tourism that cannot be learned in normal times. (June, 2020)

Researcher, academic

Japan