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Unpredictable airfares, fluctuating entry restrictions and rental car shortages are just some of the challenges travelers currently face, said travel writer Peter Greenberg, speaking at Destination International’s recent CEO Summit.
Author: Jennifer N. Service
Things change, but the question then becomes: How do you not go back to bad pre-pandemic habits? CBS News travel editor Peter Greenberg said of the return of travel, addressing attendees at Destinations International’s CEO Summit. Maybe we’re going back to bad habits.
According to CBS News travel editor Peter Greenberg, who summarized the current state of travel in a talk at the Destination Internationals (DI) CEO Summit, a hybrid event held online and in person in Tampa, Florida, May 25-27, challenged by unpredictable airfares, fluctuating entry restrictions and rental car shortages. All of this gives destinations and suppliers the opportunity to work together to create a better model for the travel industry.
“The game has changed not just for the DMOs, but for everyone in the travel industry.” Peter Greenberg
It’s not about the surprise of how many people travel, but it might be a surprise about where they’re going, why they’re going, and perhaps most importantly, how they’re going, as well as their new demands and expectations, Greenberg said.
That means that [DMOs] marketing playbooks should be burned because the game has changed not just for the DMOs, but for everyone in the travel industry, the hotels, the cruise lines, you name it.
And for organizers resuming in-person meetings this year, that means managing attendees’ expectations from the get-go. It is critical to equip themselves and their attendees with the most up-to-date information and pay attention to these issues, as well as work closely with DMO partners. There’s an opportunity here, Greenberg said, to let people know you feel their pain and you have their back.
People still need that safety blanket, and you need to look at those touchpoints in every aspect of the travel experience to see what you can do to preventively take care of that, he said. We talk about economic recovery, but what we really need to talk about is emotional recovery.
Greenberg shared an overview of the shifts that are happening right now that affect travelers.
Dexterity [Fares are] changing so quickly, in terms of the domestic market, where airfares are now up four percent from 2019, that a business class ticket to Italy this morning was less than a bus flight to New York, Greenberg said.
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For starters, airlines have reopened the middle seats and have started reintroducing some change and cancellation fees. Greenberg pointed out that after the past year, consumers are still skittish because many still can’t get a refund or come to customer service or use travel insurance to recoup change and cancellation fees, as most travel insurance does not cover pandemics.
People don’t want to be hosed down again, he said. It’s not what people talk about, it’s what they think about. [and] they think oh yeah i want to travel i need to travel but i don’t want to go somewhere and get stuck and not [be able to] get home.
scarcity The ongoing rental car shortage symbolizes short-term thinking. And that’s what we don’t need. We need long-term thinking, Greenberg said. The job shortage is another more complicated issue that affects hotels and restaurants. I was just in a hotel six days ago, he said, where the housekeeping staff was zero.
Reciprocity Now more and more countries in Europe are announcing that: vaccinated travelers are welcome, pressure is mounting on the US to answer. For event organizers seeking international visitors, this is a welcome change. Welcome to the brave new world of reciprocity, he said. They won’t let their people come here until we figure that out. This week, two weeks after the DI CEO summit, the United States Department of State announced that it is part of its… level four travel advice issued in the spring, covering more than 80 percent of the world’s countries.
Transparency After the pandemic, travelers will want to continue to have a greater understanding of the health and safety protocol of the places they patronize. People ask questions about the cleanliness of their rooms, about transportation, about where the water goes when they flush their toilets, they’re much more involved in the process about who cleaned their room and everything else, Greenberg said. The back of the house is now the front of the house, and the way you market that will make a big difference in who shows up and how much they spend.
Jennifer N. Dienst is editor-in-chief of convene.
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