Travel industry in denial – as usual

Ten questions we should ask ourselves about our future

As yet another bigger and better World Travel opens, it may be worthwhile to take a critical look at our industry, our place in it and our opportunities today and tomorrow.

It is clear that the industry is almost 100% in denial about all the major issues that will soon confront it – from climate change to human rights through overfull destinations, but all is not yet lost.

On one hand:

• Global warming has the potential to close international leisure tourism down completely
• The refugee problem is set to escalate to many millions, maybe billions as global warming escalates and harvests fail
• Wars & insecurity are already inflicting damages on tourism in destinations such as Egypt, Turkey and Tunisia – there will be more. Yet tourism continues to flow to destinations with serious human rights problems
• The recent FAO report on food security outlines an enormous upcoming global food problem
• The travel industry powers on overfilling destinations to the detriment of citizens, wasting resources and creating homelessness problems
• And the industry’s access to the market is pay-walled by a few big internet businesses including Priceline, Google, Tripadvisor and Facebook leading to commoditisation and leakage of value

On the other hand:

• A number of sustainable destination are politicising their visitor economies using them for economic, social, cultural, environmental regeneration – and promoting real disintermediation
• The marketplace is recognising the value of their holiday time and commitment and looking for better real value
• Clever long-sighted tour operators are re-creating themselves to offer even more valuable experiences
• As a larger and larger proportion of the world’s population become more and more aware of the advantages of living lifestyles of health and sustainability, the market moves on
• More initiatives are being created to offer clients/visitors holidays that are really socially-aware.
• There are more and more major movements at the periphery of tourism including Slow Food and Amnesty International/Avaaz which will have an impact on tourism

As we begin to sell 2017 and plan for 2018 and 2019 here are ten questions we should ask ourselves:

1. What can be done about/how can we avoid the stranglehold of the OTAs with their "Billion bankrupts to one billionaire" formats?
2. What can be done about/how can we benefit from the overflowing of destinations?
3. How can we gain sustainable market advantage from heightening real customer value/experience?
4. Given that the airlines appear now to have avoided any real action on climate change until 2027 – how can we adjust to avoid this massive time bomb?
5. How can we identify and avoid destinations that may be subject to security problems and human rights issues?
6. How can destinations get sufficient political power to make choices about the nature of their visitor economies and its advantages/disadvantages?
7. How can we adopt forms of marketing that engage directly with our clientele and identify and fulfil their needs without paying for access/losing ongoing control?
8. Which are the destination brands of the future, and why?
9. What is the future of cruising given its enormous per passenger/mile emission record, human rights issues and its obvious terrorism target potential?
10. Is our own activity truly sustainable economically, environmentally, culturally and socially? If not, how can it be?

Valere Tjolle

@ValereTjolle