Last week, I shared some great advice from top travel bloggers and experts on how tourists can save money and travel after the pandemic is over.
In this article, I will be sharing some tourism recovery plans for Ministers of tourism and other leaders in tourism.
This will be based on the consultation on made with some UNWTO experts and other tourism experts.
As shared in the UNWTO report on the “guidelines to restart tourism”, international tourist arrivals could drop by 60% to 80% in 2020.
This puts 100 Million – 200 Million jobs at risk.
And report shows that there has been a $910 Billion – $1.2 Trillion loss in exports.
Off-course, you are thinking what I am thinking – this is bad!
Most sectors of the economy have lost alot during this pandemic.
More painful are the businesses closed down, the employees laid off and the financial insecurity most families face.
This is one of the reasons I made sure I launched my travel blogging course in May to help youths, laid off staff and other travel bloggers start and grow a sustainable travel business online.
Now, let’s talk about the priorities for tourism recovery shared by the UNWTO.
On the top of the list is to provide liquidity and protect jobs. For the rest, see the picture below.
Below are a few recommendations from travel experts to Country leaders and Tourism Ministers;
1. Professor Marina Novelli (PhD)-Professor of Tourism and International Development, Academic Lead for ‘Responsible Futures’ – University of Brighton’s Research and Enterprise.
Question:
What advice do you have to give country leaders and Tourism Ministers that would help them boost the growth of tourism after the Pandemic is over?
Answer:
This pandemic should be dealt with as a reset button. It is giving us the opportunity to reflect and change for the better.
What I have been advocating for years is the need for positive changes towards a more sustainable sector.
So, what I would say is: “Start measuring your success not based on year on year arrivals’ growth, but rather in relation to your return on investments measured through social and environmental impacts.
Of course, the economic impact of the sector is important, but having more tourists does not necessarily translate into great benefits for the destination and society .
Focus on tourism as a force for the good of your people – I mean ALL your people, and use your environment as an asset to be preserved not as a commodity to be consumed.”
2.Dr. Brenda Boonabaana: Regional Field Expert for Africa at United Nations World Tourism Organisation
Question:
What advice do you have to give country leaders and tourism Ministers that would help them boost the growth of tourism after the Pandemic is over?
Answer:
Provide tax holidays for tourism businesses, for an extended period of time, that allows financial recovery.
Invest in domestic and regional marketing to harness the local and regional opportunities
Build strong trust among potential tourists, regarding health and safety.
3. Natalia Bayona – Senior Expert on Innovation, Digital Transformation and Investments – World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
Question:
What advice do you have to give country leaders and Tourism Ministers that would help them boost the growth of tourism after the Pandemic is over?
Answer:
I would advise country leaders and ministers to recover confidence through safety and security and to embrace innovation and sustainability as the new normal by strengthening their tourism innovation ecosystems.
It means, working together with startups, corporations, institutions, education centres and other governmental entities towards a more sustainable and technology-based way of travelling.
It is key to measure destinations’ carrying capacity and to design new tourism products that allow people to experience nature and culture including niches such as bird watching or the enjoyment of attractions from other sectors like agriculture: for example, wines and coffee plantations.
Including a contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is also a priority.
In the same path, tourism promotion should be smart.
Marketing efforts should be aimed at motivating people to travel safely by communicating the measures that are being undertaken by destinations and companies.
Furthermore, supporting entrepreneurs makes possible to find new ways of providing solutions to the current times.
Letting them enter the conversation, exploring innovative ways of making travelling safe and innovative, as well as guiding governments to make data-driven decisions, will recover travellers confidence and enable communities benefit from tourism, the most human sector.
4. Audrey Scott – Tourism Development Strategist, Co-founder: Uncornered Market.
Question:
What advice do you have to give country leaders and tourism Ministers that would help them boost the growth of tourism after the Pandemic is over?
Answer:
Don’t just focus on quantity, but also on rebuilding quality tourism.
This has two-way impact: where the socio-economic benefits stay with the local communities and the tourist has an immersive and meaningful travel experience.
This also means working with communities to build experiences and tours that share and highlight local culture, cuisine, nature and wildlife, and where they tell their story themselves and share of their home.
5.Chloe Grant – Head of West Africa Travellers Organisation
Question:
What advice do you have to give country leaders and tourism Ministers that would help them boost the growth of tourism after the Pandemic is over?
Answer:
Across Africa in particular the continent needs to work together on two counts;
- Be visa friendly to all citizens,
- Make obtaining a visa straightforward.
Potential tourists faced with endless hurdles and exorbitant prices will travel elsewhere, particularly when paying for a family of 4 – Ghana and Nigeria should take note!
Online systems in Cote d’Ivoire and Cabo Verde where you apply beforehand and obtain it on arrival works well!
Secondly, the airspace jealousy needs to stop, the continent needs to work together to increase tourism.
We spent years trying to ratify the Yamoussoukro Decision, Africa lost time and tourism potential … SATAM is now in place, we need to work together, code share sensibly and make African airspace work for Africa.
Why should the European airlines be taking passengers from X point to Y point on the continent VIA Europe?
This is madness and a waste of the resources we have in Africa, let African airlines work together to boost African airspace!
6. Angela Njehia , Director: Tierranjani Africa (Sustainable Tourism Development).
Twitter: @MurugiJ
Answer:
Restart your tourism with sustainability. The pandemic has allowed us to do things right so we must develop sustainably inclusive tourism models.
This means we cannot and should not restart an African tourism that does not consider all the stakeholders.
Local communities have in the past contributed to tourism and we did not recognize what role their played, as we re-write the story, please let us do it right, involve everyone to protect and conserve our environment and widely have everyone contribute to sustainable development.
Below is UNWTO’s guide for safe and seamless travel as we restart tourism.
To have access to the full UNWTO guidelines to restart tourism, click here to download.
Author: TheFisayo – Travel Blogger, Founder of TheFisayo.com, TravCP & TheFisayo Travel Blogging Masterclass.
In conclusion, I have decided to take it upon myself to share solutions so we can have a quick recovery in the tourism sector.
If you are in a position to make things better or provide jobs to people, please do.
Tourists, click here to see what action you should take after the pandemic is over.
Let’s talk in the comment section, in your opinion, what else would be a great way to restart tourism?
Please share the article with friends and follow me on Twitter and Instagram – @TheFisayo.
Leave a Reply