The Economic Threat to the Travel and Tourism Industry
Certainly anyone who has travelled since 9-11 is well aware that travel is not the same as it once was. In some ways the tourism and travel industry did an excellent job in responding to this new threat; in other ways it is still in quandary as to how to handle global terrorism. Following on the heels of September 11th, travel and tourism has had to face issues of food safety, heath crises, natural disasters, and the rapid rise in petroleum prices resulting in major price increases for both land and air transportation.
While it is still too early to predict exactly how this current economic crisis will impact the tourism industry, some clear trends and ideas are already emerging. To help you think about the impact of these economic turbulent times on travel and tourism, I offer the following insights and suggestions: 1) Be realistic; neither panic nor have a sense of false security There is no doubt that tourism, especially the leisure side of the industry, may be in for some proverbial stormy seas. However, in every crisis, there is the chance for new and innovative ideas to emerge, new directions to be taken, and new alliances to be forged. The bottom line is that the travel and tourism industry is not going away and your business is not going to fold tomorrow. Take a deep breath, think about which challenges each component in your locale's tourism and travel industry may be facing, and what are some possible solutions that will permit you to overcome these challenges. Remember the best way to solve big problems is by breaking them down into smaller and more manageable problems. 2) Be up and be positive This challenge is not the first nor will it be the last that the travel and tourism industry is going to have to face. Your attitude impacts everyone with whom you work and/or serve. When leaders demonstrate positive and cheerful attitudes, creative juices start flowing. Difficult economic times demand good leadership, and the basis of good leadership is believing in yourself and in your product. No matter what the media may be saying, walk into your office with a smile on your face. 3) Do not let the media get you down Remember that the media thrives on bad news. Learn to separate facts from ‘analytical fictions’. Just because a commentator states something does not mean that it is true. News media are hampered by their need to provide 24-hour news coverage, and thus must constantly seek new ways to attract our attention. Remember the media thrives on bad news. Know how to separate facts from opinion and truth from media hype. 4) Think spiritually
5) Assess both your tourism and economic strengths and weaknesses Know where your proverbial Achilles heals may be. If the economy should worsen considerably which groups of travellers may you lose? Is there a new group of travellers to whom you have never marketed? Is your business, hotel, or CVB carrying too much debt? Is this the best time to ask for salary raises or to seek credit for a building? Remember the media reports on world and national conditions, but what often counts are local conditions. Assess your goals, needs and problems in light of your local conditions and the economic conditions at your principle customer sources. 6) Remember that travel and tourism are component industries That means that your business will be impacted by everyone else's business. For example, if your community loses restaurants then that loss will impact the number of people staying in town and may hurt local hotels. If hotels are not occupied, not only will lodging tax revenues decrease but also this decrease will impact a wide variety of business owners. Tourism and travel will need to practice collective survival. The power of clustering to increase business will become an important trend. 7) Develop an economic security team
8) Think out-of-the-box Crises are the time to try to figure out ways to do more with less. Consider ways to connect your product development to/with your marketing. In turbulent economic times the public seeks substance of glitz. Make sure that you provide tourism essentials such as a tourism oriented policing unit and good customer service. Beautification projects not only add value to your tourism product but also provide an uplifting environment that allows for creative problem solving and encourages business people who must face a myriad of problems to want to return to your locale. 9) Economist and finance specialists are not always right To paraphrase an old adage, the ‘road to bankruptcy is paved with the opinions of economists and people in finance’. Listen to the best advice but, at the same time, never forget that economists make numerous mistakes. Neither finance nor economics is an exact science. Instead listen to expert opinions but never forget that, in the end, the final decision is yours. So once you have done your research listen to your gut. That may be the best advice of all. * * * Dr. Peter E. Tarlow is the president of T&M, a founder of the Texas chapter of TTRA and a popular author and speaker on tourism. Dr Tarlow is a specialist in the areas of sociology of tourism, economic development, tourism safety and security. He speaks at governors' and state conferences on tourism and conducts seminars throughout the world and for numerous agencies and universities. This article was original published in Tourism Tidbits and has been reprinted by kind permission of the author. |
When
historians of modern tourism write
about tourism in the first decade
of the twenty-first century they will
most likely see it as one of continual trials and challenges. The
terrorism attacks on September 11th, 2001, forced the travel and
tourism industry to face global security threats and to determine how
this new reality would change the way the tourism industry would do
business.
Now,
toward the latter part of this
decade, the tourism industry must once again face a very different type
of threat. While this threat is neither physical nor medical,
potentially it may be just as or even more dangerous than the others.
That threat is the current economic meltdown and what it means to world
tourism and travel.
When times
are tough many people turn to
some form of spirituality. Spiritual tourism tends to boom
during difficult political or economic times. While many houses of
worship may be the foundation for spiritual tourism, spiritual tourism
is much more than merely visiting a church or synagogue. Think beyond
your houses of worship to the underlying sense of spirit within your
community. This may be the time to encourage people to visit cemeteries
where loved ones are buried, or develop inspirational
trails. Places where historical events may also become part of
your spiritual tourism offering.
This is
the time not to pretend to know
everything. Call upon as many experts as possible to develop
new ideas and to monitor the situation. Most communities have
economically savvy people. Bring local bankers, business leaders,
hoteliers, and attractions owners together for a local summit and then
follow up this summit with a schedule of regular
meetings. Remember this crisis will most likely be fluid with
multiple economic ups and downs.