How Can the Industry Overcome the Biggest Barriers to Travel’s Return?

The COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a severe blow to the global travel industry, and even with the effects of the pandemic beginning to recede in many places, there remain a number of major obstacles that can get in the way of the industry’s steady recovery.

Advisors and professionals from across the industry have been hard at work to identify and overcome these barriers, both individually and collectively, in hopes of stimulating a healthy return to travel.

Sense of uncertainty
“I think the largest barrier really is the unknown,” said Susan Rice, president of New Era Travel. “I think people have a fear of what they don’t know, what may happen, what may not happen.” 

In order to combat the sense of uncertainty we all feel about the ever-evolving state of travel, advisors should do everything in their power to research and relay up-to-date information about the situation across the destinations they offer.

“We’ve become really big on the word transparent, and I think having learned from my other colleagues that the more clear and honest you are with clients, the better they will respect you, and your relationship will grow from that,” said Rice. 

In this time of constantly shifting circumstances, communication will be more important than ever going forward. “I’ve been personally reaching out to clients who I feel need that extra attention to help remind them they’re not alone and to keep travel at the forefront of their minds. We’re here for them.”

She also believes that promoting your specialty will help attract potential travelers and instill additional confidence in their abilities, because travelers will be looking for more personalized catered experiences and will trust an advisor who can provide their specific needs and who operate under that title.

“I think travel advisors who have put in the time to learn more about the specific areas of tourism, specific locations, and specific types of travel… they will be the valuable people because they’ll serve as the go-to people,” said Rice.

“General travel advisors will still be there, but people want to work with advisors who have the best skills for what they need. But at the end of the day people know that we have their back, and that we’re there for them.”

Staying closer to home  
Currently, there are many limitations in place determining where and under what conditions, Americans can travel internationally, and this has resulted in a significant increase in demand for domestic travel offerings.

“There is no doubt that there’s more interest in domestic destinations now than in the past. And we’re running promotions focusing on domestic programs. Some of the tour operators; Globus, Insight, Classic, they are all amplifying their domestic offerings,” said Stephen McGillivray, chief marketing and communications officer for Travel Leaders Group.

After the extended travel lockdown period, people are anxious to get back out and traveling again, and it’s up to travel advisors to educate them on where they can go that’s safe, what will be available when they get there, and what changes have been made to services and safety protocols.

“Advisors are moving in the right direction to begin having more substantive conversations about making bookings,” said McGillivray. “We’ve made changes to our digital messaging to the customers to ‘dream now, travel later’. We send a lot of great videos, great experiences, and things getting them to think about travel in the future.”

But now that demand has been on a steady increase, and people seem way more comfortable with travel, he said messaging will shift to get travelers thinking about where they want to travel to, and why.

Safety concerns
“As destinations nationwide prepare to welcome visitors, there will be a much greater focus on hygiene and sanitation than ever before,” said Lillian Rafson, founder and CEO of Pack Up + Go.

She also said that due to reports of a rise in active COVID cases, “we are seeing some hesitation form travelers now. We’re just trying to be as flexible as possible and allow our travelers to change their dates or postpone their plans to a point where they feel really comfortable traveling, and can have the most positive experience possible.”

The COVID-19 pandemic is naturally on the minds of travelers, and it’s up to travel advisors to not only ensure their clients are staying safe while abroad, while keeping them up-to-date with any new health or safety information that may arise.

“Travelers will want to know what steps are being taken to ensure they are safe, and it’s up to advisors to keep track of the myriad of new measures and policies these places are implementing, and to relay best recommended practices to their clients,” said Rafson.

“We are going to do our absolute best to ensure you have a great experience, and we do still recommend practicing social distancing, using hand sanitizer and washing hands often. We really try to do our part to make sure we are in step with national and local recommendations.”

Restoring confidence in travel  
One of the biggest factors advisors can focus on short-term to help spur industry recovery, is to do everything in their power to restore consumer confidence in travel, and a big part of that involves staying informed on the myriad of changes travelers can expect.

 “It feels like travel is going to open up in bits and pieces, as different areas of the world deal with the pandemic,” said John Rees, owner of J5Travel.

“Advisors have to be responsible for getting this correct information out to their clients, and that’s a big responsibility, especially with so many changes taking place.”

He’s communicating with his clients regularly, even those who aren’t yet ready to travel this year. “I’m keeping my clients informed on what’s open, what’s not, and what the situation is in different places, but at the moment, I’m just striking a balance between inspiring future travel and actively trying to sell travel.”

Rees expects the arrival of a COVID vaccine will do a lot to alleviate traveler’s worries about the virus, and in turn, that can help the industry formulate a more unified approach to reopening. “If there’s a vaccine, a lot of that confidence will come back. It’s just up to us to make sure we can instill that confidence in clients, thatmake them feel safe with all the new protocols and airlines and hotels put in place.”

Another consumer confidence booster is waiving change fees and generally making it easy for people to change their travel plans, especially with the situation in many destinations changing suddenly and frequently.

“One good thing for clients at the moment is there’s basically a free option to book nearly anything for 2021, because cancellation terms are so generous now, and most will rebook you for free.”