The New Normal
Travel's New Normal is Uncertainty - Travel Weekly
The industry must find a way to work around this unpleasant reality, says Steve Endacott
The industry must find a way to work around this unpleasant reality, says Steve Endacott
The global coronavirus pandemic impacted nearly every industry on Earth, but few as intensely as travel and hospitality.
Guest writer Jackie Douglas, President, Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) shares her insights and practices which the hospitality industry has learnt from COVID.
Up to 25% of Business Travel to Remain Impacted, Survey Shows
COVID-19 is having a lasting impact on consumer needs and preferences (Samuel, 2020). It is being declared as 'the new normal' (Charm et al., 2020). Interestingly, consumers are adjusting to this new normal, with significant changes noted in their behaviors.
We may not have been able to predict the havoc COVID-19 would wreck in the hospitality industry. But we can reimagine what the future could be what the'new normal' for hoteliers means.
The last few months have been a real turning point for the industry. Never before has the world stood still, and along with it the possibilities for travel. In retrospect, the plight of the holidaymakers who were stranded in Spain under a volcanic ash cloud now seems trivial compared with the impact of recent times. While shutting down tourism and aviation at the start of the outbreak was a logistical tour de force, the effort needed now to restart these industries is much greater.
As national infection rates start to decrease across the globe, hotel companies are starting to look to what the industry may look like when demand eventually returns to pre-pandemic levels. The hotel industry may experience some of the most permanent changes within the tourism sector, being led through advanced technology says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
'Travelling in the New Normal' is part of WTTCs plan which includes critical steps and coordinated actions, including new standards and protocols, which offer a safe and responsible road to recovery for the global Travel & Tourism sector as consumers start planning trips again.
According to a special forecast from STR and Tourism Economics, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the hotel industry is projected to report significant declines across demand, occupancy, ADR, and revenue per available room (RevPAR) in 2020. While travel has come to a virtual standstill due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the market is expected to regain its footing in the latter part of the year and next year.