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
To have other types of travel... say, using VR. (May, 2020)
Tourist
China
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
Tourism for me means the following:
T-ravel with passion
O-rganization
U-niqueness and appreciation of different tourism destinations and offers
R-espect for other cultures and mentalities.
I-nteractions with people all over the world
S-ightseeing
M-ake experiences (October, 2020)
Student
Austria
CHALLENGES
The biggest challenge that the crisis brings with it is the economic aspect. Due to the almost global shutdown of the economy, it is not yet certain how bad the economy will be in the future. Tourism has been hit pretty hard, especially in Tyrol, and will therefore have a heavy loss in occupancy and reservations. How bad it actually gets is still unclear. (June, 2020)
Student
Austria
CONCERNS
Will I be able to adopt to new reality, how long it will take before people will start to travel again? (April, 2020)
Tourism business representative
Slovenia
IDEAS
Hotel management could begin to think about how the crisis will affect tourists' behavior. In my opinion, safety will emerge as one of the most important factors in tourists' decision making. So the hotel management could go through the "design thinking process", through the stages upon arrival at the hotel. Maybe the hotel receptionist will be wearing gloves from now on. The lobby may need to be rearranged to make it more open, reduce the number of seats, move tables further apart. There might be a need to add disinfectants and air fresheners to rooms and throughout the hotel. Maybe add air quality to the hotel website. (April, 2020)
Student
Slovenia
I CAN OFFER
Social (online) support! As mentioned previously, providing social interaction through technology and media platforms greatly helps and keeps everyones mind busy while providing social interaction to ease the lockdown induced loneliness. I would also be able to provide the resource of shopping for the elderly in my community, which I have done twice this previous month, in order to allow the elderly to stay home and get safely delivered food and not have to possible expose themselves to the virus. Anything we can do to help everyone struggling to get through this time. (April, 2020)
Student
United States
I NEED
Stay in touch with other researchers, especially as we move out of this. (April, 2020)
Researcher, academic
Canada
SOLUTIONS
Creating new programs and business solutions for small owners that need an extra boost. Sort of a platform for revitalization, shift, changing mind patterns of business owners and transforming them into new stories adapting the situations. (March, 2020)
Tourism business representative
Slovenia
EXPLOITATION
Tourist vouchers should also be redeemable in travel agencies, restaurants, museums and national parks. Now some providers are earning a lot, while others are in red numbers.. (August, 2020)
Tourism employee
Slovenia
OTHER / SPOTTED
We need to raise more awareness about the 'Anthropocene' and the need to move to a form of ecological tourism. (July, 2020)
