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
In my opinion the biggest challenge will be how to alleviate the deep grounded fear that is right now in people and how to persuade them that the world is still safe place for travelling and that other people are not threat anymore. The political measures and role of media are going to be the two mayor factors that will either encourage people to be positive or negative, pesimistic. They will either encourage people to go back to before established travelling routines and continue their lives or block them with reporting just negative news, as the media is doing right now globally. (April, 2020)
Student
Slovenia
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 face travel cancellations and almost zero demand, instability, fear in people. Every day there are new security measures and changes that affect the decisions of potential passengers. (August, 2020)
Tourism employee
Slovenia
CONCERNS
I am currently concerned with the timeline. The hospitality and tourism industry will take some time to recover, but there are contrasting views on how quickly the industry will recover. Some have more bullish views and believe that once an "all-clear" is issued we will have an influx of discretionary income spending from "stir-crazy" individuals. Others have more bearish views and believe that the risk aversion associated with the Coronavirus will have a more prolonged effect even after an "all-clear" is issued. (April, 2020)
Student
United States
IDEAS
The hospitality & tourism industry should work closely with environmental protection industries - Human beings are the true 'virus' in the world. In fact, mother nature does not need humans and she can choose anyways she wants to eradicate this species called “human". It's human's own wishful thinking of protecting the Earth only because humans cannot live without nature. (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
Open borders for travel. Accurate and up-to-date information on new epicenters of infections. (August, 2020)
Tourism employee
Slovenia
SOLUTIONS
Take care of your employees, customers, and business partners, foster an atmosphere of trust and use the time to foster a growth mindset as well as offer (cross-)trainings, webinars, explore ideas of your employees (May, 2020)
Tourism business representative
Germany
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
I saw a weird travel website talking about travel to countries that didn't have the coronavirus. All the more reason to NOT go there, I would say. In no time the virus would be there and those countries would soon also go through all the troubles and deaths. (May, 2020)
