Travel will find a form of wisdom, fewer tourists but more travellers.
Marie-Carole Ancelin-de La Chapelle
CEO
MCA Communication
Some say that the current pandemic will trigger radical changes across multiple sectors; do you see this happening in your primary eld? If yes, in which way?
This health crisis has surprised everyone by the violence and the fact that it has no history, and if all the global economies have been affected, the tourism sector is experiencing this crisis without having had time to prepare. Overnight, we had to learn to communicate differently. Communication in the tourism sector goes mainly through journalists – individual reports or press trips in small groups -, indeed what could be more effective than a report on a hotel in a powerful media to make it known and to give the immediate desire to go there!
Today, when we can no longer invite journalists, we must absolutely continue to keep
this particular link, which is the specificity of a press relations agency. We need to make journalists dream of the moment when they can once again discover the hotel (or the destination). But of course journalists as well as individuals will travel differently with a different approach. These moments of confinement allowed many of us to reflect, to rethink our way of life, our habits and our priorities. Slow life will be the winner in this crisis, from now on we will take the time to travel looking around, meeting and sharing moments with those who receive us. Nature, that has never been so beautiful and pure when this moment, will also be at the centre of new discoveries.
Which are the two most important disruptions that you expect to take place in the hospitality industry in the years to come due to the current crisis?
The hotel industry will have to review its way of thinking and its sense of hospitality by being even more attentive to its customers. Small units will have, in my opinion, more power of seduction than large complexes, hotels located in the middle of nature, sea, countryside or mountain will be more attractive that hotels located in towns. Particular attention should be given on possible discoveries from the hotel, the hotel is no more a destination in itself but part of the discovery of a country or a region. Local cooking or gastronomy (quality of the regional products), outdoor activities will be highlighted as well as of course all the safety aspects linked to sanitary measures.
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On the basis of your insights from your clients & partners, which destinations are showing the most resilience during this crisis, and which will be the first to recover?
Europe has the capacity to recover, it seems to me that the medium-haul destinations will be the first to benefit from a tourist recovery. If Italy has a lot of work in terms of effective and positive communication, Greece, Portugal, Malta and some northern countries that seem to have handled the crisis better should be the first to return to the tourist scene.
In my opinion, smash prices to sell better could have a counter productive effect. It is important to keep the very concept of the establishment, the one which makes its DNA, it is however important that the clients received a customized attention.
At which pace do you expect travel to make its recovery? Do you expect a quick (V shaped) rebound or something different?
It is a very difficult question, because it depends on the resumption of the air traffic and the opening of borders, there is no doubt that this summer many countries will experience a more important domestic tourism, international tourism should resume in early 2021 but this means that PR strategy has to be ready this summer.
What is the key action that destinations can take at this time in order to bene t in the long run (2021 and onwards)?
Travel will find a form of wisdom, fewer tourists but more travellers. People will travel longer but less often. The journey must become a dream again.
Continue with effective communication, continue to make people dream, be creative in order to always be more attractive. As a service provider, we assist our client with their project from ideas to implementation.
My last hard truth is that we need to think of how to better manage such a crisis in the future.
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