Will I be a tourist or a visitor?

The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the global importance of the travel and tourism industry economically, as well as its interconnectedness with other industries. Border restrictions, lockdowns and social distancing have impacted everyone in the industry, from small tour operators to multinational hotel chains and major airlines.

According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, COVID-19 will impact, in a baseline scenario, an estimated 121.1 million jobs, and more than $3.4 trillion in GDP could have been lost in 2020 and the longer-term damage to the livelihoods of those in the industry remains to be seen.

But while the negative repercussions of the crisis are uncountable, there have been some side effects that can be harnessed for positive change in the future. The World Economic Forum’s recent Rebuilding Travel and Tourism panel, at the Sustainable Development Impact Summit, explored the intersection of consumer consciousness, technology acceleration, and destination management – and found solutions that have the potential to reshape the way we market, manage and plan our travel.

Travelers are becoming more impact-conscious

The COVID crisis has made the travel and tourism industry, like many others, ask: “Should we keep doing things the way we did before?” The answer is, “Of course not,” but too often the prospect of achieving real change feels impossible to tackle. We must seize this moment where individual collective action can reach a critical mass to enable structural change.

Now that COVID-19 has given everyone a forced time-out. Promisingly, more people are stopping to reflect on their travel patterns and, most importantly, their impact. People are asking themselves questions they haven’t before: Will I be a tourist or a visitor? How can I travel in a way that has a positive impact?

They’re also expecting answers from the industry. For example, “How many of my tourist dollars will stay in the local economy?”

To date, there have been two barriers to the mainstream conscious traveller: the first was the inquisitiveness to ask those questions and the second was to easily find answers. Measuring claims of sustainable practices and comparing different options while not being taken in by greenwashing was a tall order for travellers to determine for themselves.

The good news is that some of the foundations have now been laid. In navigating travel amid the pandemic, with constantly changing restrictions, travellers have had a crash course in gaining new research skills. During COVID-19, this is taking the form primarily of navigating complex and dynamic border restrictions and assessing the virus risk with fact-based information.

The result has been a win for something other than price-first, as consumers currently think health-first. Now that many travellers have a new mindset and new skills, it’s up to the industry to connect people with accessible and clear information they need to make informed choices.

Tourists are looking for experiences in nature

COVID-19 may also serve to start a virtuous cycle that tackles one of tourism’s headline issues: overcrowding. Before the pandemic, tourists attracted tourists. Millions of travelers would seek out the must-sees in the most-popular must-go destinations at the peak must-visit months.

The pandemic has forced public awareness around personal health safety and the virtue of physical distancing. As such, the prospect of being shoulder to shoulder may not be palatable again. Now, consumers are avoiding crowded places and long-distance travel in favor of local and outdoor activities.

Digital solutions are improving sustainability

The pace of travel and tourism service digitalization is being rapidly accelerated during the pandemic. Online platforms for services, marketing, payment and processes have risen in popularity as consumers avoid person-to-person contact. They have also become primary ways to provide and receive health safety standards and other pertinent information about a destination.

Long-term progress requires cooperation

One of the most long-lasting lessons from COVID-19 may be the need for multistakeholder collaboration in the travel and tourism industry. The scale and global nature of the current crisis have forced the industry’s business organizations, public institutions, and others to cooperate on the destination, national and international level. Moreover, coordination with nontraditional entities such as health agencies has become vital.