一个旅行社如何处理COVID-19
经过戴恩·泰勒(Daine Taylor)/
As the travel industry was dealing with the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak earlier this month, one agency used the crisis as an opportunity to adapt its business model by offering customers opportunity to be a tourist “in their own backyard”.
The agency, Pack Up + Go is a travel company with a unique business plan. They provide surprise vacation itineraries, designed to simultaneously remove the stress associated with planning a trip, while providing a sense of spontaneity for their clients. And like many agencies currently operating, they’ve had to deal with the fallout from the outbreak.
“Due to the disruption from the Coronavirus, and the media frenzy surrounding that, we mostly have our travelers reaching out and we’re doing our due diligence to see if their destinations declare a state of emergency, or what happens if airlines stop service,” said Lillian Rafson, Founder and CEO of Pack Up + Go.
As a surprise travel agency, Pack Up + Go has had to monitor the progress of the Coronavirus across its many destination offerings on behalf of its clients. “That’s been a big challenge for us, we are following the lead of the government officials [and] agency officials… We have a small team, so we’re just trying to communicate as thoughtfully, thoroughly and personally as we can with our travelers to make sure that their safety is always prioritized.”
And with the implementation of new travel restrictions, low demand for travel across the board, and a profound sense of uncertainty as to when things will get back to normal, Pack Up + Go has opted to offer a new service for those who may be wary of traveling across the country; ‘Staycations’.
尽管该计划是在最近的锁定措施和社会疏远计划进行之前引入的,但它是企业改编其迎合市场不断变化的策略的一个很好的例子。
“因此,作为一个团队,我们的使命始终是促进探索和自发性,我们正在思考‘即使我们有点害怕进入未知的地方并前往新地方,我们如何继续促进这一点?我们如何继续鼓励开放的思想和冒险精神,并以更多的安全网?’”
“So that’s how we decided to launch ‘Staycations’, and we think it’s a great opportunity to encourage travelers to be a tourist in their own cities.”
Pack Up + Go arranges entire surprise itineraries by letting clients decide how they’d like to travel (road trip, by plane, etc.), how many people are going on the trip (solo, couple, family, etc.), their budget for the trip, and then having them fill a pre-trip survey, which asks about their previous travel history, personal interests, and anything else the agency will need to know to make the trip an unforgettable experience. The more information they provide on the pre-trip survey, the better agents can cater this trip to match their expectations.
But while ordinary Pack Up + Go trips could have clients travel across the country to discover new places to explore and enjoy, the ‘Staycation’ program is designed to let people discover the hidden gems in cities nearby that people don’t often take the time to appreciate.
“我们在这里总是在促进美国各地的游客,发现一个您可能没有想过要参观的新城市,但是您后院里的地方又如何访问?”拉夫森说。
“我曾经住在纽约,我永远不会去大都会或古根海姆或任何博物馆,这确实是因为它们太容易了,太容易了。因此,我们真正想到的时间和空间是在家中成为游客。”
The company initially marketed the new program to former Pack Up + Go travelers, who expressed interest in the new idea and applauded the company for adapting during such a trying time for the industry. “We’ve got a lot of great feedback. A lot of people said ‘oh this is so much easier for us, because I’ve got kids, and it’s hard to arrange childcare for a whole weekend, but I can make one night happen’… The logistics are so much easier, and it’s also a lower price point.”
作为“宅度假”计划的一部分,打包+is offering both one-night and two-night ‘Staycations’, so this will include the one or two nights in their accommodations, valet parking, customized itineraries based on the traveler’s interests, as well as one guaranteed surprise activity or attraction.
“Right now we are offering our ‘Staycations’ in about 80 cities around the country… and we’re always going to be adding more cities as we go,” said Rafson.
“It’s a great opportunity to be a tourist in your own city, and give yourself a change of scenery, a change of pace, without traveling too far.”