Travel Consul, the leading international travel marketing alliance, has released the results of a survey that reveals the impact of COVID-19 on the industry and the future recovery of global travel distribution.
Between 11th – 25th May 2020, over 900 travel executives (tour operators and agency owners) from the top tourism source markets participated in the Travel Consul global survey, whose goal was to get a better understanding of the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and what is required to get the industry back on its feet.
Amanda Hills, President of MMGY Hills Balfour said: “We are delighted to have been involved in this global study which revealed a number of interesting insights most notably, how the wider travel industry is looking to tourist boards to lead the path to recovery. It is reassuring to see that the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) is introducing a safety and hygiene stamp which mirrors the travel executives’ sentiment from our survey, that a health certificate issued by tourist boards would greatly improve consumer confidence, which in turn will give the travel industry a much needed reboot.”
Results that specifically impact the UK market
A large proportion of UK consumers (59%) are longing to travel to their original holiday destination, whilst the remaining 41% are waiting to decide what happens to their booking or are changing their destination altogether. Tourism boards will have a greater role to play in the recovery process with 65% of tour operators citing that joint marketing campaigns with a tourist board which carries a call to action will help their recovery, along with the need for tourist boards to share useful and timely data with tour operators. The pandemic has also led to tour operators diversifying their product offering with 59% saying they will modify what they sell, with 82% of tour operators likely to sell destinations and resorts which they have not previously considered.
Below are the key findings of the global survey and are not UK specific:
- Tourism associations serve as primary data sources
- Tour operators and travel agency associations lead the pack (69% as a global average) when it comes to analysing the top data sources used for information during the pandemic. This was followed by destination tourist offices, trade media, their own national government, and industry friends.
- Marketing efforts for recovery are focused on social media
- Regarding marketing activities during recovery, social media was clearly the winner with two out of every three respondents claiming that social marketing was their main concept. Digital and co-op campaigns respectively came in second and third.
- 53% of distribution partners are “very likely” to consider destinations not previously offered
- Over half of respondents (53%) said they were more likely to consider destinations that they have never promoted before. Almost 50% of respondents said that they were extremely likely to consider hotels and resorts they had never sold before. Additionally, another 37% said that it was somewhat likely they would consider other options.
- Almost half of clients are waiting to decide where to travel next.
- Over 40% of clients, who are rebooking or showing some interest in traveling, said that they were planning to go to the destination where they had originally booked. Although, the largest percentage 46% are at a halt, waiting to see how the situation evolves before making their decision.
How COVID- 19 is changing the rules in 2020 and beyond
When asked how the role of travel distribution partners will change going forward in order to adapt to these new circumstances, 70% of the respondents believe that modifying cancellation policies or terms and conditions will be among their main undertakings. Additional strong responses were “expand customer communication channels,” and “diversify/change your product and destination offerings,” and “creating new partnerships with new buyers and suppliers.”
How destinations can support distribution partners in recovery
When asked how best destination organisations (DMOs) can help travel agencies and tour operators in recovery, the number one answer was clearly “introducing health and safety certificates for agents to feel sure the destinations are safe to send their customers to” with two out of three participants requesting help from destinations. The next top three answers included marketing campaigns, presenting useful and timely data, and industry and media updates.
