My Idea of a POA for Travel Industry Recovery
The 2020 Black Swan is going to change the World, period! The NEW WORLD ORDER is imminent, and mankind will have to adapt to all the “new normal”. A change we all anticipate like any other major change isn’t going to be without severe damages, of which few have already been experienced across various sectors of our society. Travel Industry albeit among the worst hit and perhaps also among the ones to experience slowest recovery could experience a boost in Sustainable & Responsible Travel. Fellow Travellers, this is our best shot at making responsible tourism a global mandate.
On a personal level, I haven’t still been able to fathom the fact that Travel isn’t going to be the same positive element of our lives for time to come. Empty airports, vacant hotels, silent markets, sound too dystopian to think about, so here are few tricks in my opinion travel Industry & tourism authorities could adapt to make this undesirable period shorter:
Visa/Permit
Visa applications, the first and the foremost hustle of a traveller. It definitely can make or break an upcoming travel plan. No! I don’t want EU & UK easing the visa eligibility criteria or US generously issuing the visas but reduce the visa application fees. Make short term but cheap visa grants an option, this works two ways. Streamline the visa approval process while making it more transparent than ever before.
Permits, I am specifically referring to national park permits and ILPs (Inner Line Permits) used to enter into high risk areas. Being totally blunt here; reduce the number of permits and pull up the price. ILPs are key to low volume and high value tourism, they don’t restrict tourists from visiting your country but help stop international as well as domestic tourists from exploiting sensitive ecosystems within your country. Promote and grant permits around activities/events happening at a particular place. For eg: Washington authorities grant permits to very limited couples for annual hiking event on Mount Saint Helens.
Marketing
Data & algorithms will do all the magic here. Delegate resources to collect data about incoming tourism. Age group, Nationality, Tourist Spending, everything matters! Use this data to design focused promotional strategies catering to the world of social media and beyond. Perhaps even export your culture and provide a glimpse of it in different corners of the world.
Aggressive and coordinated promotion, I can’t stress enough on this! These are unprecedented times and call for extra-ordinary measures; Tourism, Hospitality & Aviation will have to come together in a coordinated fashion for the greater good.
Welcome Tourists
Never have I felt not welcomed anywhere during my travels. I am sure it must be the same for you, so what do I mean here? Go extra mile, let a tourist help desk centre be the centre of attraction of an airport, railway station and also major tourist hotspots. They can be more efficient, versatile, and of more assistance than they are right now.
Grant free connectivity. A free sim card & a travel pass are a way to traveller’s heart! Tourism & Law authorities, these are the times when you identify the travel scams your country specializes in and work towards it. Safety goes a long way!
Tourists visiting your country will be your biggest ambassadors. Ensure experience remains at the core of your tourist programs across the country. Also, small part of our community are expats, communicate and keep a tab on their socio-economic needs, for they will be knowing and understanding your country far better than a tourist or a traveller.
What Travellers can do?
Travel! Know your country that you have been unknown to for so long before catching the next international flight.
Official airline portals over Skyscanner or MakeMyTrip.
Insure your trips. Travel insurance are already enough robust and could become even more robust in coming times.
FOREX is antique, Global Currency Cards are the new cool. Go read about it, you will not only do a favour to your home currency but also your wallet.
This goes without saying, promote the places you have been to without being that Instagram “traveller”.
With all that said, I can’t wait to be back on the trails, travel to a new destination and meet amazing new people. Let’s stay home today and travel tomorrow for hope, sustainability and solidarity :)
