post-pandemic comeback for the travel, transit, and hospitality segment is among the most anticipated, but these industries have also been among the hardest hit by COVID-19. From global chains to regional hubs—especially smaller, independently owned operations—what was expected to be a temporary pause on life has given way to a larger pause on these businesses and their economic gains, often threatening their ability to continue operating.
We can expect to live in a constant state of disruption for the foreseeable future. Industries must respond with radical introspection that leads to big shifts in how they operate. Businesses will be forced to innovate and operate with agility.
Personal and business travel will be the catalyst for both transportation and hospitality to thrive once again. When individuals and companies feel confident enough to safely travel and meet in person, the broader industry will start to reap the consequential gains as we start to resume some semblance of a normal life. Preparation for this future success must start now.
At APCO, we have talked a lot about what the transit industry should be doing now to start building resilience, the most obvious being how to raise the bar on health and safety standards. Airlines were the first to really trail blaze these new protocols out of necessity, even in the beginning. Two of the three of us were travelling overseas when America began locking down, and the additional precautions that airlines instituted were as immediate as the scent of rubbing alcohol that permeated the flight deck. These standards set the bar for hotels, restaurants, and trails across the United States and internationally.
Sustaining Resilience in the Long Term
These measures boosted resilience, but how can this sense of resilience be sustained in the long-term? There are several efforts underway across travel, transportation, and hospitality to do just that. Efforts include a ride sharing mask verification program, certifications for hotels to showcase they are following the most up-to-date COVID-19 cleaning guidelines, and several accreditation programs for event venues and airlines related to infection prevention. These are not short-term fixes; they are long-term investments.
What else need to be done? To some degree, it is about making people aware of these efforts. Next steps must also demonstrate the effectiveness of these programs in making activities like ride shares, hotel stays, flying, taking trains, and participating in in-person meetings safe. Each of us has done many of these activities in the last few months to varying degrees and we are happy to report that we have felt safe in doing so. We are not the only ones.
APCO Worldwide has been working closely with several organizations in these industries—including the U.S. Travel Association’s Meetings Mean Business Coalition—being deeply involved in conversations about sustaining resilience. These conversations revolve around several points.
- It is not enough to focus on one or two links in the chain—until and even after there’s a vaccine, there must be an emphasis on keeping every touchpoint for travelers safe and secure. That means new airport safety protocols, new air travel safety processes, new technologies being used to protect travelers' health, new modern meeting processes, new event layouts and design, new hotel cleanliness protocols, and new expectations for travelers. It also means knowledge sharing across industries, and in some ways, even with competitors. A new model of rivalry partnerships is bringing together competitors and strange bedfellows to solve problems.
- The industry has always prioritized cleaning and sanitation behind the scenes. The difference now is that travelers want to see it. Frontline service organizations providing essential travel, transit, and hospitality services must oblige and show—not tell—what steps they are taking. For example, cleaning that was once done in the middle of the night is now being done and documented throughout the day.
- Effective and targeted communications will be key. Industry leaders want us to be prepared for a safe journey, and they are saying that doing so requires stakeholders all provide information that updates and empowers the consumer. Everyone plays a role, including consumers. As new stakeholders enter, and some longstanding powerbrokers are no longer in the mix, stakeholder capitalism is increasingly taking hold. The travel, transit, and hospitality industries must engage with new people and powerbrokers to achieve for sustained success.
- There is no longer any question of how and when things will go back to “normal.” The world has fundamentally changed and it is important that those organizations shaping the future of travel, transit, and hospitality lean into these changes and attendant opportunities for growth, innovation, and evolution.
To come back stronger, the focus cannot be on survival alone. Too much has been lost, gained, and learned to settle for anything short of progress. Organizations that will thrive in our new reality are those that are nimble, find new ways to engage with their customers, communicate widely about the changes they have made, stay ahead of the changing environment, and effectively work with other organizations—including their competitors—to come back stronger.
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Embracing Long-Term Resilience Can Help the Travel and Hospitality Industries Survive
November 11, 2020
For the travel and hospitality industries to make a post-COVID-19 comeback, they must find new ways to engage with customers, effectively communicate changes, and be nimble in the face of a changing environment.
A
post-pandemic comeback for the travel, transit, and hospitality segment is among the most anticipated, but these industries have also been among the hardest hit by COVID-19. From global chains to regional hubs—especially smaller, independently owned operations—what was expected to be a temporary pause on life has given way to a larger pause on these businesses and their economic gains, often threatening their ability to continue operating.
We can expect to live in a constant state of disruption for the foreseeable future. Industries must respond with radical introspection that leads to big shifts in how they operate. Businesses will be forced to innovate and operate with agility.
Personal and business travel will be the catalyst for both transportation and hospitality to thrive once again. When individuals and companies feel confident enough to safely travel and meet in person, the broader industry will start to reap the consequential gains as we start to resume some semblance of a normal life. Preparation for this future success must start now.
At APCO, we have talked a lot about what the transit industry should be doing now to start building resilience, the most obvious being how to raise the bar on health and safety standards. Airlines were the first to really trail blaze these new protocols out of necessity, even in the beginning. Two of the three of us were travelling overseas when America began locking down, and the additional precautions that airlines instituted were as immediate as the scent of rubbing alcohol that permeated the flight deck. These standards set the bar for hotels, restaurants, and trails across the United States and internationally.
Sustaining Resilience in the Long Term
These measures boosted resilience, but how can this sense of resilience be sustained in the long-term? There are several efforts underway across travel, transportation, and hospitality to do just that. Efforts include a ride sharing mask verification program, certifications for hotels to showcase they are following the most up-to-date COVID-19 cleaning guidelines, and several accreditation programs for event venues and airlines related to infection prevention. These are not short-term fixes; they are long-term investments.
What else need to be done? To some degree, it is about making people aware of these efforts. Next steps must also demonstrate the effectiveness of these programs in making activities like ride shares, hotel stays, flying, taking trains, and participating in in-person meetings safe. Each of us has done many of these activities in the last few months to varying degrees and we are happy to report that we have felt safe in doing so. We are not the only ones.
APCO Worldwide has been working closely with several organizations in these industries—including the U.S. Travel Association’s Meetings Mean Business Coalition—being deeply involved in conversations about sustaining resilience. These conversations revolve around several points.
- It is not enough to focus on one or two links in the chain—until and even after there’s a vaccine, there must be an emphasis on keeping every touchpoint for travelers safe and secure. That means new airport safety protocols, new air travel safety processes, new technologies being used to protect travelers' health, new modern meeting processes, new event layouts and design, new hotel cleanliness protocols, and new expectations for travelers. It also means knowledge sharing across industries, and in some ways, even with competitors. A new model of rivalry partnerships is bringing together competitors and strange bedfellows to solve problems.
- The industry has always prioritized cleaning and sanitation behind the scenes. The difference now is that travelers want to see it. Frontline service organizations providing essential travel, transit, and hospitality services must oblige and show—not tell—what steps they are taking. For example, cleaning that was once done in the middle of the night is now being done and documented throughout the day.
- Effective and targeted communications will be key. Industry leaders want us to be prepared for a safe journey, and they are saying that doing so requires stakeholders all provide information that updates and empowers the consumer. Everyone plays a role, including consumers. As new stakeholders enter, and some longstanding powerbrokers are no longer in the mix, stakeholder capitalism is increasingly taking hold. The travel, transit, and hospitality industries must engage with new people and powerbrokers to achieve for sustained success.
- There is no longer any question of how and when things will go back to “normal.” The world has fundamentally changed and it is important that those organizations shaping the future of travel, transit, and hospitality lean into these changes and attendant opportunities for growth, innovation, and evolution.
To come back stronger, the focus cannot be on survival alone. Too much has been lost, gained, and learned to settle for anything short of progress. Organizations that will thrive in our new reality are those that are nimble, find new ways to engage with their customers, communicate widely about the changes they have made, stay ahead of the changing environment, and effectively work with other organizations—including their competitors—to come back stronger.
