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.
I CAN OFFER
During this time, our company is continuing to do a little "catch-up" and behind the scenes work. This includes spicing up our website (and the property's websites) to attract guests for after quarantine and freshening up our restaurants' menus. Corporate employees are also brain-storming special deals and offers for after quarantine as well. (April, 2020)
Tourism employee
United States
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
Freedom of traveling our wonderful world. (April, 2020)
Student
Germany
CHALLENGES
After COVID-19, we will face challenges in rebuilding trust within our markets that it will be safe to travel again. There might also come other travel trends that do not pay our region the attention. Companies will be economically weaker and might not be able to develop their service and competence, and we might loose the momentum we had where companies were eager to work with sustainability. Many companies might drop prices and stop caring about which clients they get, as long as they get clients. This can be challenging for the general quality level of tourism business in our region. Higher unemployment can lead to emigration from our region, with the result that it will be challenging for the local places to attract new people and for companies to find the right competence. There might be less willingness to contribute to development and marketing of tourism from the public government's side, as they might loose faith in tourism. (May, 2020)
Tourism or convention office, event organizer
Norway
CONCERNS
Concerning is the lack of information and the pure stupidity of many people. All the critics and people who believe in absurd conspiracy theories are absolutely morons. I cannot even believe how ignorant, selfish and careless people are. Im not saying being careful and not believing everything is stupid, no asking questions and criticizing rules is very important. But having just a little bit of common sense is absolutely necessary. I see a it as a clear failure in our education system and im scared that these people are the generation of tomorrow. In school nobody is interested in the subjects the are taught because :" I don't need biology and physics. I will work somewhere else." Then suddenly 5G causes Covid-19 and Bill Gates poisons everyone with his vaccine wich contains little robots to control everybody. Thats just straight up stupid and nonsense. Also I fear that after the pandemic is over everybody will not have changed a bit and just continue on the same as before. (September, 2020)
Student
Austria
IDEAS
I would like to think that the C19 will be a change for the overall economic, environmental and social reset. As a humanity, we have shown that, in spite of the quest for profit, we are willing to sacrifice economy to save lives. Hopefully, we might realize that the long time live-saving will be to invest in building better societies and taking care of each other and the planet. Tourism can be one of the tools that we use to this end. However, if the pandemic is over, if there is no second wave and if we recover relatively quickly, I am afraid that the opportunity for 'reset' will be lost. (May, 2020)
Researcher, academic
Croatia
I CAN OFFER
A vaaast information on local stories, a good network of local and regional stakeholders (Maribor, Slovenia) and a bit of crazy innovativeness that comes with our formats. (April, 2020)
Tourism business representative
Slovenia
I NEED
Trainings concerning how to successfully hold a webinar and keep connections after the online events. (April, 2020)
Tourism or convention office, event organizer
United States
SOLUTIONS
Working from home, flexibility, reducing labor costs, on-call duty, finding new opportunities for development in tourism. (July, 2020)
Tourism employee
Slovenia
EXPLOITATION
It´s sad that there are so many cheaters who just want to get all the money which is spend by the state to help the little enterprises to survive the crisis, so that those who really need the money, don´t have any chance to work against their problems ... (June, 2020)
Student
Germany
OTHER / SPOTTED
I think that the fact tourism is highly affected is not that big of the problem. Yes it’s true that people won’t travel during the epidemic, but when everything is over, people will travel again, they won’t just stop. Maybe this is a great chance for everybody to see how much we all can do to help restore Earth, not just in tourism, but in the whole industry sector. (March, 2020)
