顾问可以从墨西哥恐慌中学到什么?
by戴恩·泰勒(Daine Taylor)/
Mexico has long been a major vacation destination for U.S. holidaymakers, and why wouldn’t it be? With alluring beaches, enchanting resorts, tropical climates, and the close proximity, Mexico is in the perfect position to dominate the U.S. tourism market. However, following a recent series of negative publicity, including reports of rampant crime, police corruption, and instances of violence, people became hesitant to venture there.
在大多数情况下,关于前往墨西哥旅行的担心已经消退,但是是什么引起了旅客的焦虑,以及顾问如何准备并适应客户的恐惧呢?
The problem in a nutshell
对于顾问来说,近几个月来出售墨西哥就像在潮汐上游泳。尽管对目的地和相对稳定的销售数字持续兴趣,但顾问中有近八分(78%)表示,他们已经有客户告诉他们在过去六个月中不想去墨西哥。beplay客服“2019 Outlook on Mexico.”
For many travelers, the fear and uncertainty surrounding Mexico stems from news reports that either over-sensationalized issues, or that failed to frame those situations in the proper context. Combine this with oversaturation and a tense political climate, and it’s no wonder travelers were turned off to the destination.
一位经纪人说:“有些人担心食物和犯罪。”而另一位经纪人说,忧虑是“犯罪,谋杀和枪击事件。”另一个客户说,“因为他们在媒体上听到的声音而感到害怕”。
许多经纪人在聆听后告诉我们,并与客户讨论了问题,他们能够改变主意。一位受访者说:“我解释说,墨西哥是安全的,我利用自己的经验。”另一个人补充说:“我让他们知道墨西哥是一个美好的国家,不应避免。”
一位顾问说,他们正在听取较少不想去墨西哥的客户的消息,理由是“媒体已经搬到了多米尼加共和国。”
根据旅游行业的众多专业人员的说法,关于墨西哥安全的大部分内容都是误导性的。Sunsational Beach Vacations总裁兼组织总裁汤姆·布鲁索(Tom Brussow)说:“我个人认为这是一个非常安全的目的地。”
布鲁索说:“我们遇到了一些因[误导]头条新闻推动的担忧,但总的来说,我仍然认为它非常受欢迎。”
他强调,虽然墨西哥的某些地方对旅行者来说可能是危险的,但几乎不必担心。“Our clients are really getting a sense that what they’re reading in the headlines doesn’t conform with reality very well … Once they get down there, once they get to the resort, and they get a chance to meet and understand the Mexican people … they have an amazing time.”
Fact from fiction
And therein lies the problem. There’s a significant rift between what is reported about Mexico in the news, and what a majority of travelers experience when they visit.
Despite what a number of headlines have reported, incidents in Mexico involving tourists are extremely few and far between.
大多数旅行都没有发生任何事件,客户回到家中,回忆了,并计划回来。这些旅行中只有一小部分对于旅行者来说很糟糕,但是这些故事似乎吸引了媒体最关注的问题。
现在,这并不是说穿越墨西哥没有带来的风险。但是总的来说,如果旅行者坚持使用诸如度假胜地这样的安全区域,并具有良好的常识,那么他们应该没有理由感到不安。
布鲁索说:“就像您在世界其他任何地方旅行一样,您也必须采取必要的预防措施并采取常识。”“真的依靠度假胜地。它们都在封闭式社区中,度假村的气氛和安全水平非常高。我们想确保人们度过一个快乐,安全的假期,并做出正确的选择,并且不要将自己置于可能发生的事情的情况下。”
In fact, crime rates there are relatively low, and violent crime is something that any visitor using common sense should not encounter. “Don’t find yourself at the wrong place at the wrong time. I’d have the same advice if someone was going to New York or Los Angeles or Miami … just practice common sense.”
Despite all this negativity, Mexico remains remarkably popular among tourists, and is currently the sixth most visited country in the world. In 2018, a total of 41.4 million international tourists visited Mexico, an increase of 5.5% compared to 2017, according to the country's Secretary of Tourism.
得到教训
在过去的几个月中,负面报道的浪潮已经消退,就像发条一样,旅行者对墨西哥的担心似乎也受到了减弱。但是,许多客户仍然对目的地的安全感到持久,这是顾问可以介入的地方。
“We do talk about [safety] with clients,” said Stephanie Schneiderman, a travel specialist for Tia Stephanie Tours. “We do our very best to help them understand the dynamics and nature of some of the things they hear and read about.”
有时,她的客户会带来安全问题,但施耐德曼说,提供背景经常有助于减轻他们的一些担忧。“他们经常对他们所读的内容和实际经历的东西(到达时)之间存在的差距感到惊讶。”
She added that news about safety for travelers in Mexico is often given without proper context, and that single-dimensional reports are damaging to the reputation of the Mexican tourism industry. “There’s no context to it, they’re not giving the full picture. Media tends to be negative, it’s rarely positive, and I think, historically, the media has tended to have a very, let’s say, problematic approach to covering Mexico.”
Advisors found that explaining the situation in Mexico, and providing the proper context was a great way to help ease client’s worries, and having first-hand knowledge of the destination goes a long way toward making the sale.
“I think there are questions about safety, and [people are] asking questions about what’s happening and what precautions they can take,” said Ted Blank, a host agency manager and luxury travel advisor for Market Square Travel. “I think those questions have become fewer recently, maybe over the last six months, than they were a year ago.
“Kind of across the agency, we saw a softness in the third and fourth quarters of 2018, and then it rebounded pretty rapidly,” Blank added. “And at this point, for 2019, our Mexico bookings are up more than what they were last year.”
他将这种影响对销售的影响归因于相当多的负面宣传,此后大大放松了。
你自己看
But how should advisors address client concerns? According to Blank, you must first become an expert on the destination. And what better way is there to familiarize oneself with a place, than to visit it?
“如果您个人身处墨西哥的顾问,那可能值得在那里旅行并检查一下,并以第一手知识回来,”布兰克说。“当您与客户交谈并与他们互动时,第一手知识可能会有所帮助。
“I thought it was lovely, I had no concerns about my personal safety. The reasons people go there is it’s an amazing destination, it’s easy to get to, and there are combinations across all budgets and categories. All those things continue to be true.”
尽管墨西哥为度假者提供的一切提供了一切,但仍然总是有那些对目的地感到不舒服的人,没关系。“有些人无法说服,说服他们并不是您的角色。与他们分享事实并让他们做出自己的决定确实是您的角色。”“如果人们选择不去墨西哥,还有其他一些目的地可以提供一个美好的假期。”beplay银行卡