Tour Operators See Promising Signs for Early Return to Travel
byDaine泰勒/
Despite ongoing uncertainty within the travel industry, tour operators are looking to the future for signs of when travel may open back up.
The United States Tour Operator Association (USTOA) on Wednesday revealed the results of a survey among its active members, tracking their recent bookings, and post-COVID recovery plans.
“While short-term uncertainty remains, the survey of our tour operator members reveals that the desire among consumers for international travel remains promising, especially looking ahead to 2021,” said Terry Dale, president and CEO of USTOA.
USTOA活跃成员中有一半以上(57%)报告说,2021年的预订大部分由被取消的2020年出发的重新预订客人组成,而32%的成员报告说,有2021个预订是在共同爆发之前进行的预订。仅11%代表2020年进行的新预订。
A vast majority (80%) of active member’s bookings are for international destinations, with the remaining 20% of bookings for North American destinations.
“Our active members are taking a destination-by-destination approach to resume operations around the globe, with cautious optimism for an anticipated return to business in various regions this fall,” said Dale.
More than 50% of those queried predict that U.S. domestic travel will open back up by this year, with 30% anticipating domestic operations restarting by September 2020 and 26% predicting travel returning as early as July 2020.
In the wake of the chaos ushered in by the COVID-19 pandemic, travel companies have had to adjust their marketing strategies to cater to a clientele that isn’t quite ready to travel yet—79% of respondents say they have changed their marketing message to put more emphasis on health and safety, smaller group travel itineraries, and safe destination offerings.
USTOA held a virtual town hall-style meeting last week with several travel industry leaders to discuss when and how travel can reopen safely to the public.
“What we are going to be looking for is a collaborative plan involving operators and destination partners, to almost rebuild the destination business back to what it needs to be,” said Elizabeth Crabill, CEO of CIE Tours International and USTOA treasurer.
“I don’t think it’s over exaggerating to say that we are rebuilding this [industry]. Everybody will have been on pause for a very long time, and I believe that working together with the operators is really the best way we can have a better plan.”
She said communication and collaboration with destination operators will help get a better idea of what attractions and experiences are available, and how they can provide backup itinerary experiences to help meet travelers' expectations.
由于目前的不确定性,旅行公司将需要定期评估不断变化的情况,因为该行业的细分市场开始恢复。USTOA正在努力帮助制定一套统一的政策和准则,以使目的地准备在全球旅行市场恢复之前再次安全接收旅行者。beplay银行卡
戴尔说:“很明显,我们的旅行社成员和目的地旅游成员之间的持续合作对于重建旅行计划以及消费者的信心至关重要。”
“解决健康与安全措施是重中之重,USTOA正在与欧洲旅行社协会和加拿大旅游经营者协会的同行合作,以制定针对我们的旅行社成员的准则。”