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.
IDEAS
World tourism is facing a crisis resulting from a pandemic. After the end of the pandemic, it will face a financial crisis. In a crisis, we need to look for solutions and develop new ways that will enable travel, events, even though this is very difficult in the situation we find ourselves in at the moment. (September, 2020)
Tourism employee
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
For me tourism is about traveling the world and getting to know new cultures. I do not care about fancy hotels - I want to spend my time outside a building and explore the destinations. For this, I want to be able to travel to places sustainably, and with a feeling like a local. I am a hoStel lover and love the connection with likeminded in a hostel environment. (May, 2020)
Tourism business representative
Germany
CHALLENGES
During my studies I have been constantly working in the tourism industry. While working, I was gaining valuable experiences in a lot of different fields of tourism and in the meantime I was enjoying what I did, I really found a passion in making people feel welcomed and helping them do interesting things on their travels. So the challenge I am facing in this hard situation is not being able to do what I love and I know a lot of people right now who are feeling the same way. (March, 2020)
Student
Slovenia
CONCERNS
Employees need protection but have no way to social distance without effectively completing the given work related tasks. The risks are taken due to hotels being an essential business. Some hotels have closed while others aren't, it is decided on a case by case basis by the ownership and local government. (April, 2020)
Tourism employee
United States
IDEAS
One idea I had was to offer a "babysitting service" for parents who had to stay at home and work. Because that would keep people who are out of work busy and it would relieve the parents for a few hours who are stuck at home with them all day.
The service would include doing homework with the children and going outside as getting infected was less likely outdoors.
Another idea I had (which other cities and countries are doing already) was to offer more home delivery services. I think in Innsbruck we lacked take away/delivery services not only from restaurants but also from bars and pubs. But also companies which normally do not offer delivery services could have adapted quicker, for example: books (Tyrolia/Wagnerische/Thalia) or wool and fabric from small shops in town. Pretty much anything that would have kept you busy and sane during lock down. Which would have also created more jobs during this crisis. (June, 2020)
Student
Austria
I CAN OFFER
My joy at work in the tourism industry. (June, 2020)
Student
Germany
I NEED
We would need to know more predicitons on the life after. We would need succesfull (guerilla) promotion to (new) markets. (April, 2020)
Tourism business representative
Slovenia
SOLUTIONS
Offering alternative future dates later this year and then next year instead of automatically accepting a cancellation. (May, 2020)
Tourism or convention office, event organizer
United Kingdom
EXPLOITATION
Criminals phishing company details to claim subsidies entitled for small businesses in various states of Germany. (May, 2020)
Researcher, academic
Germany
OTHER / SPOTTED
I am really liking the idea about starting over in the field of tourism. I think it's a great idea because the tourism industry has been doing amazing so far for many years and had a lot of profit from different airline companies bringing bilions every year and so on, but I still think that with starting all over we could do even better and make tourism industry better than ever. (March, 2020)
