After the ‘Toughest’ Five Months Advisors Have Ever Faced, Industry Looks to Gear Up for Recovery
byDaniel McCarthy/
This week, the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) kicked off the start of the main programming for its 2020 Global Convention. While this year looks a lot different than years past, advisors still took center stage, as ASTA and industry executives talked about the battles of the last five months and the potential of a brighter, better future.
ASTA President and CEO Zane Kerby opened the general session on Tuesday, telling advisors that despite all the adversity they’ve faced over the past few months, they are still here – and will be stronger for it.
“COVID-19’s effect on our industry cannot be overstated,” Kerby said. “The past five months have literally be the most challenging our industry has ever faced. Though the odds are daunting and the road ahead challenging, ASTA is here for you.”
In the past five months, ASTA has held over 100 congressional meetings, two grassroots campaigns, and “forcibly encouraged the industry’s suppliers to treat you…fairly,” he said.
Kerby强调了两个新的ASTA资源,该小组希望这些资源将帮助顾问继续推动国会援助,这可以帮助某些机构生存 - 给编辑样本和旅行顾问媒体动员教育课程的信。
Kerby补充说,“媒体压力可能会加速”。“您并不孤单,我们在一起,我们将共同建造一座桥梁,通向更美好的未来。”
Coming to the aid of advisors
在接受旅行市场报告出版商安妮·玛丽·莫贝斯beplay客服(Anne Marie Moebes)的采访中,挪威邮轮公司(Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings)首席执行官弗兰克·德尔·里约(Frank del Rio)谈到了NCLH与许多竞争对手海洋邮轮公司一起为取消航行的委员会的决定。
德尔里奥说:“'合作伙伴'一词经常被抛弃,但是如果我们真的是合作伙伴,我们需要互相帮助。”“我们很高兴和高兴的是,我们有能够在这些压力的时期能够提供帮助,并且我们将忠于他们,就像他们对我们保持忠诚一样。”
Del Rio also spoke about NCLH’s decision to partner with Royal Caribbean on its Healthy Sail Panel, a group of experts that includes Dr. Scott Gottlieb and former Utah Governor and Sec. of Health and Human Service Mike Leavitt, who will guide NCLH and Royal in building the policies they need to put in place to return to sailing safely.
Del Rio saw Dr. Scott Gottlieb on CNBC and “I said that’s the fellow.” Del Rio reached out to Gottlieb and told him NCLH was forming a council to bring together expertise, and “we hit it off.”
“他了解这些问题,他认为他可以提供帮助,我们与他一起开始制定计划,以组建我们自己的健康和安全小组。几乎同时发生的是,理查德·芬(Richard Fain)和我在谈论我们如何与Covid-19打交道……我们说:“为什么我们不一起做这件事?”
“We’re very happy. Richard and I are kindred spirits when it comes to safety and health and we want to share this with the rest of the cruise industry. Anyone who thinks the work this panel is doing…this is a blue ribbon panel, you can’t get any better expertise.”
Fain, speaking later during the opening general session, gave advisors “best wishes from everyone at the Royal Caribbean group.”
“I don’t need to tell you what a terrible year this has been like,” he said. “It won’t surprise me if this is the toughest year many of you travel advisors have ever had. Certainly that has been the case for the cruise industry.
“您可以考虑下一次似乎2020年的挑战是压倒性的。我们有一种我们仍在坚持下去的宝贵商品……您出售,我们出售目的地,出售经验,出售回忆……等待在人们的假期中制作。beplay银行卡
“大流行教会了我们很多事情,包括您向客户和我们的客户提供的价值。
“我们所有人都准备回到一个社会上没有疏远和人类互动的世界。我们还不到那儿,但是当一天到来时,人们将欣赏您比以往任何时候都更需要提供的服务。”
DOT秘书在主题演讲期间进行恢复
美国交通部长埃莱恩·乔(Elaine Chao)说:“过去几个月一直是该国面临的最具挑战性的人,而且众所周知,旅游业一直受到最严重的影响。”向与会者发表主题演讲。
Chao谈到了该部门在过去几个月中如何为所有运输方式提供援助,物资和指导,这是《 Cares Act》强调的。其中包括向机场救济的100亿美元,20亿美元的机场安全和基础设施赠款,以及航空公司,旅行社和机场承包商的500亿美元。
The goal of that allocation was to “ensure that airports are ready to go when travel demand returns.”
该点还分发了超过1亿张面部覆盖物,并于7月发布了其航空旅行的恢复资源指南,该指南“为航空公司和机场提供了明确的指导,以确保旅行公共的安全。”
“The next few months will continue to challenge our country but the Department is working hard to ensure our transportation systems are safe and operational,” Chao said.
“Let me thank you for everything you do during normal times to ensure a quality experience for travelers. You do so much to get the traveling public to their destination and back, safely and smoothly, and you help to make the experience a positive one.”