Strategy to face challenges

Pandemic has hit global economy hard, especially tourism industry. There were challenges at every step, but what is more important is to address challenges and develop improved strategies for dealing with challenges.

Janice Alyosius

It has been a challenging couple of years for the travel and tourism industries as the third wave has again strained the industry. However, being aware of the challenges can enable industry participants to develop adaptive strategies more rapidly and bemore proactive. In conversation with delegates from the tourism and travel industries, some of the challenges that need to be addressed were stated.

Speaking to Debjit Dutta, Director & CEO, Impression Tourism Services, he highlighted how the tourism sector is an unorganised sector of the country that has been massively affected by COVID. “We have faced many challenges over the last two years, including managing operations, surviving without business, maintaining resources, and not having or running out of reserves.” The industry is going through a transformation, and it is imperative that we recognise and adapt to those changes. “The business has seen a dip in numbers again. Reservations have been cancelled or postponed, but by February, hopefully things will be normal,” he said.

Another challenge faced by the industry is pricing. Due to a drop in business, the hospitality and travel industries lowered their prices, which did not help enhance business at all. Hotel sales will be a challenge if hotels continue with their cheap pricing strategy. “The focus should be to look beyond 2020 and 2021, figure out what has gone wrong and work on it. In order to bring the business back to pre-pandemic levels or to improve it, the hotels should start selling at an optimum price. Keeping a low price because corporate wants a low price is not a solution. We have to get over those issues in 2022, said Pankaj Gupta, General Manager, Crowne Plaza, New Delhi.

The industry is about congregating together and exchanging ideas. However, in a situation like COVID, it has become quite a challenge. The third wave has given time to the people involved in the industry to rethink the products they are offering and improve upon them. “We need to be realistic and, therefore, as we move forward, perhaps the events we organise, need to be more organized, and in terms of content, we need to be more creative and ensure that the content delivered to the end customer is something that they are really looking for. I think it is very important for the industry to have the push to deliver greater value, which is definitely different from what it used to be in pre-COVID times,” said Raymond Lim, Area Director, Singapore Tourism

Getting the trust of the people involved is another challenge. “The most challenging aspect of today’s business is building trust. Every hotel, every segment, and every travel partner should be able to build trust with their customers. People are losing their trust, so it is very important that we make them trust again, “said Gaurav Narula, Global Category Manager, Schneider Electric.