The big question: how will we travel when we can?
Who has stolen April from us? And March, and Easter … Spring of terraces, long days, getaways, flowers, toasts and meetings. Spring is one of the most anticipated seasons of the year , but this 2020 seems to have disappeared from the calendar without a trace. We look beyond, we fix our illusions on the summer and on the long-awaited vacation , until we realize that this August will be very different. When and how will travel return?
Many have already been launched campaigns to regenerate tourism and hospitality : virtual forums, online chats, workshops of all kinds and trends such as #PostponNoCancels . The consumption of travel reports has even increased and the networks have been flooded with dream destinations . We want to pack our bags again, keep adding pins to our maps.
It is difficult to predict how the world of travel will develop after this crisis in which the sector has been one of the hardest hit. It is said that creativity will play a very important role ; companies that reinvent themselves, take advantage of new synergies and commit to sustainable travel fleeing from the exaggerated overcrowding which we have reached in recent years.
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has called for urgent and firm support to help the world tourism sector, not only to recover from COVID-19, but "so that when growth returns, it will be stronger and more sustainable" according to Zurab Pololokashvili, UNWTO Secretary General.
Maintain employment, lift travel restrictions as soon as the emergency allows, make visas more flexible , carry out marketing campaigns, ask entrepreneurs for help or advocate for the sustainable development ; These are the measures pursued by a first World Crisis Committee constituted by the UNWTO and with high-level representatives of tourism and the United Nations system. For this they have spread the motto “Staying at home today means being able to travel tomorrow” with the hashtag #TravelTomorrow.
BUT WHEN TOMORROW COMES, WILL WE DARE TO TRAVEL?
“Once the limitation of travel disappears, people will still take time to take pleasure trips due to factors such as the hypervigilance of one's own or others' physical symptoms , Own fear of contagion or even the fear of foreigners”, the psychologist tells Condé Nast Traveler Ricardo Bustos . "For many, the situation of confinement and their fear of contagion has called their mental health into question, experiencing stress, episodes of anxiety and even depression . Reason for which their sense of security in terms of health is diminishing. Although traveling has immensity of positive effects on a psychological level, it is always a challenge for the person himself, since in some way one faces, to a greater or lesser extent, the unknown: language, culture and customs”.
WHERE WILL WE TRAVEL?
The label #TravelForSpain It has been moving through the networks almost since the beginning of the confinement. Supporting the recovery of the sector until foreign tourists return is one of the reasons that has led people to use it. “ Travel within the same country will probably be facilitated first . People will begin to make small outings around their environment in order to regain that lost security. It will be a process of coping with fear until we return to normality”, continues Ricardo.
We have spent years saying that we prefer to leave the destinations that are closest to us for later. It seems that time has come.
Marian Donate , owner of the Viaja Sin Más agency, agrees with this note: “In the event that it is possible to travel, this summer the majority of Spaniards will opt for the National tourism , unless they have a contracted flight and the airlines start operating normally.” The theme of honeymoons It is the one that sees the income in the agencies falter the most: “I think that the least affected countries and with fewer entry restrictions will be the most demanded, such as Costa Rica. To know for sure which ones will open their borders, we must wait a few months”.
The strategy being carried out in the agencies is Recommend lower risk destinations to give your customers peace of mind , but we do not have to be afraid of distant and exotic destinations: "Mauritius or the Maldives closed their borders very soon, so when they open, they will surely do so by taking all the necessary measures," adds Marian.
In the same way, Pangea, the leading agency for many travel experts, saves the passport for the time being with the campaign This summer stay home, #YourNewMapaMundi . Getaways, innovative destinations and renewed ideas so that we can change Hawaii for the Canary Islands and Sydney for Valencia. Why not?
Portugal will be one of the first countries to which, with certainty, we will return. It is close and has managed COVID-19 since the beginning of the crisis , also offers options in the middle of nature. “The Alentejo is a region with low population density, a destination closely linked to the tourism of nature, culture, sun and sea ; so it offers ideal conditions for a safe holiday”, tells us the president of tourism of the region, Vitor Silva , trusting that this summer the tourist activity will be slowly reactivated.
Something that has us uneasy is how our neighbors will receive us knowing that we are one of the countries hardest hit by the virus. “The Alentejo Tourism Promotion Agency has prepared a promotion campaign in Spain that will only start when conditions allow . The Spanish market is our natural market and the first international market in number of visitors and overnight stays, so there is no fear, just precaution to receive everyone with the greatest security."
HOW WILL WE TRAVEL?
Countries like China , with its recent reopening to tourism although with capacity limits, or Italy , with possible proposals such as offering a vacation bonus to boost national tourism and designing plots of distancing on its beaches , they serve us as a guide and keep our hopes pinned on the summer. But our way of traveling, as we knew it, is going to change a lot. Marian Donate assures that it will be necessary to make room in the suitcase for the masks, gloves and disinfectant gel : “for some time we will have to travel very protected”.
Another issue that worries travel agents is that of low cost travel . “Advance sales have marked a before and after in tourism, lowering prices and thus bringing destinations to which it was unimaginable to travel years ago. In this way, the consumer buys tourist packages in any month . If this disappears, the sector would lose work for much of the year and would not be able to offer good rates either," says Marian, that he also fears the new cancellation policies and that prices will rise due to the decrease in flights.
An important change will take place in the travel insurance . For many, it is very difficult to claim the return of their tourist packages or plane tickets after the cancellations of these days. Also, there will be fear of getting sick in countries with unprepared health systems.
“We firmly believe that when we travel again, we will do it in a more conscious and safe way , so that travelers will not hesitate to ask for clear insurance with solid guarantees for their next vacation”, María Prieto, tells Traveler. Marketing Director of Chapka Assurances. “Insurers are going to live a before and after COVID-19 and the insurance that responds to the new concerns will not take long to reach the market, so it will be essential to offer the best guarantees at an affordable price”, adds María.
THE FUTURE OF TRANSPORTATION
Transport is another of the sectors hardest hit by this crisis, and in the future many people will be reluctant to travel in a medium other than your car . "For the future we don't know how will demand behave , but we will have to adapt our offer”, she tells Traveler.es Isaías Táboas, president of Renfe . “We will integrate a more health insurance that make it possible for travelers to return to using public transport, the railway and other types of collective transport.”
Alberto Gutierrez, CEO of Civitatis , he is certain that we will travel again as before. "From my point of view, the recovery of confidence will be quite immediate . It will be necessary to respect certain safety standards and adapt to the different obligations dictated by the countries, but 90% of the people who can travel will do it as before”.
We asked him about his tour packages, many of them geared toward group travel. "We have products for all tastes and budgets, so those who do not want to take a group tour can always book a private guide or carry out hundreds of activities such as a snowmobile ride through Rovaniemi or a quad route through the Moroccan desert”.
THE FUTURE OF HOTELS
Manuel Vegas, president of the Spanish Association of Hotel Managers , he laments that hotels will take a long time to return to the occupations of recent times: “revenues will have a minimum recovery period of one year. From the AEDH we have requested that enable a tourist voucher , with the amount set by the Government, which serves to facilitate tourist consumption by Spaniards, especially those whose income is reduced. We have also asked for special prices on transport, especially on flights for help the Balearic and Canary Islands”.
In addition to these measures, Does the sector prepare campaigns and offers? "Of course, Spaniards must be motivated to generate consumption and enjoy unforgettable experiences that help overcome these sad days . My recommendation is not to enter into a price war, it would be suicidal and cause more ruin”.
Regarding the hygiene guidelines, Manuel comments that from AEDH they are generating a guide to good practices for cleaning and disinfection . "New service standards must be developed to protect both customers and workers, prepare healthy cuisine and avoid waste, generate services and products that excite the customer, be more energy efficient, digitize the hotel." In this sense, there are themes, like the breakfast buffet , which can be inconvenient: "shifts will have to be established, return to continental breakfast with some small menu offer or to breakfasts in the rooms . There is a lot to do and for this all models from other countries will be studied and analyzed”.
Regarding accommodation preferences, it seems that the trend will be focused on small and family accommodation . “The advertising campaigns of the destinations will have to be effective and emotional, knowing how to reach the customer. There will be those who do not want a beach this year to avoid contacts and prefer internal tourism , perfect, there is a hotel offer for all needs”.
Who knows, maybe all this is an opportunity to recover the empty Spain.
THE FUTURE OF RESTAURANTS
Restaurants were the first businesses to close and it is feared they will be the last to reopen. “ I think we are going to start very slowly ”, declares Toño Pérez from the Cáceres restaurant Atrio . “My feeling is that people, in general, they are afraid of closeness and they will want to keep social distances . These precautions are not lost from one day to the next, they will gradually go away little by little.
The hotel sector is considering a thousand formulas, such as separating its customers with methacrylate partitions, to offer security, but measures for reopening are quite up in the air.
“The Spanish Federation of Hospitality is treating them with the Government , but nothing concrete is known yet”, explains Francis Paniego, chef at El Portal de Echaurren. “We all intuit or imagine it based on what we see happening in China. When the regulations arrive, we will implement them and act to restore confidence and security to our customers.”
There is also a lot of talk about limiting the capacity and distancing the tables : “If a business already has an expense structure and suddenly has to work with much less capacity, it will be impossible for them to sustain that expense structure, so they still consider not opening.”
THE FUTURE OF CRUISES
Given the number of cruise ships that, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, were refused to dock in many countries, companies prepare to face new security guidelines.
Fernando Pacheco, CEO of MSC Cruises , explains to Traveler that health and safety standards will be implemented even more rigorous to protect passengers and crew: “This will probably include some of the measures that we already introduced during the beginning of the crisis, as well as new detailed protocols for medical examinations, health checks and deep sanitation of ships.”
Fernando is convinced that people will sail again: “Naturally, it will take time, but since the first cruise ships began sailing in 1844, It's been a tough industry . The previous adverse situations that we have faced demonstrated the capacity of recovery that it has”.
**A BIG CHANGE IN TOURISM**
After this break that we have given the planet, what seems clear is that we will learn to travel in another way.
“If there is something that this global situation has left us, it has been the evidence that the environment needs us and that we must all rethink, organisms and travelers, the current bases of an obsolete tourism model that is completely destructive and destroys natural ecosystems. and social aspects of our planet”, explains Cristina Contreras, consultant in sustainable tourism and founder of Viajar Eslou . “To promote this responsable tourism , it will be convenient to educate in responsible tourism practices and support those who carry them out and promote them”, she affirms.
All of this has also taught us to slow down, give more value to time, take things slowly and adapt to situations. "We should reflect on our way of traveling, do it more slowly, appreciating small craft businesses and valuing our own culture".
We live with a lot of uncertainty and with the only certainty that the arrival of a vaccine will mark a before and after in the new world of travel . Until then, we have to get excited about future escapades so that when the Earth turns on again, let's take over its streets through the five senses.