If there is one thing you can be sure when this is all over it’s that people will start travelling again. Travel for many is a priority, whether it’s for work, seeing relatives or just pure leisure, and for most it’s as normal as going for a meal. When the obstacles to travel are lifted people will start taking trips again. It may be that there will be a rise in road trips or holidays within the country to begin with with, but whatever form it may take people will be booking again.
So how do you prepare your clients?
There are two distinct phases –
- what you need to do now
- what you should do when the restrictions are lifted
What you should do now
Maintain a line of communication with potential customers. Make it helpful and inspirational but be honest and transparent. These are difficult times so be sensitive to that but also realistic. Always communicate with potential travellers but maybe just change the tone. Use this as an opportunity to share stories and inspiration from your resort, hotel or destination. It will remind people of all the positive things that are out there waiting to be explored.
What you should do when restrictions are lifted
Incentivize travellers, showcase those wonderful experiences. Encourage private sector partners to offer great deals and focus on memorable messaging – there is going to be a lot of noise from every travel company, hotel and destination all fighting for customers at the same time so make sure you stand out. Be flexible with your booking policies and processes. Tell people about health issues, hygiene and the like. Even whether areas are particularly crowded. Travellers will be very sensitive to this kind of thing. This will all be critical to an effective recovery plan.