“It’s no longer enough just to serve the customer. We also have to think about everything that customer needs and provide the added value they’re looking for,” said Oscar Iroldi—technical coordinator at the Uruguayan Ministry of Tourism, consultant in tourism, ecotourism, and rural tourism, and instructor in tourism and hospitality management—during the online conference “Post-Pandemic Tourism Outlook and Trends.”
The event, organized by the Department of Short-Term Programs at the School of Management and Social Sciences of Universidad ORT Uruguay, took place on Monday, March 8, 2021.
Alongside Iroldi, the event was hosted by Pablo Pesce—a Senior Hospitality Technician, a graduate of ORT’s Marketing Analyst program, a faculty member in the university’s Marketing Department, and a professional who works for some of the most iconic brands in the hospitality industry in Uruguay, Chile, and Mexico.
One of the sectors hardest hit by the pandemic in Uruguay in 2020 was tourism. In this regard, experts wondered whether the post-coronavirus world would lead to growth in tourism.
The resurgence of tourism
“We are in a time of widespread and uncertain crisis,” explained Iroldi. “Tourism is about connecting with others, which runs counter to the social distancing measures we are required to follow. We have no clear idea of when the industry will fully recover. No one has a definitive answer. It is within this highly uncertain reality that we are facing our work today.”
“Resilience, recovery, and reinvention have been the recommendations of the World Tourism Organization, ”said Iroldi, who also outlined some strategies for restructuring the sector:
- First, we need to work toward strengthening governance. In other words, “we need to bring together academia, those of us who study tourism, and organized civil society in all its forms, along with a range of partners: institutions, organizations, and companies that are not always directly involved in the tourism sector, but which have suffered greatly during this pandemic because the sector has been so severely impacted.”
- Second, sustainability as the cornerstone of any recovery plan. “The important thing is to determine how we are going to live together in this world after the pandemic.”
Regarding tourism trends, Iroldi emphasized the importance of finding that sweet spot. This involves identifying the destinations people will want to visit based on their proximity and the level of comfort they perceive.
In addition, it is important to pay attention to the data and analyze it. “The generation of big data in the tourism sector has not stopped, especially because those of us who love to travel continue to visit travel blogs and share stories and experiences that brought us joy. This is also providing us with a wealth of information that we really should take advantage of to understand how the markets will evolve,” the expert noted.
Exponential growth
Pesce analyzed the evolution of the hotel industry, focusing on recent years and what is expected in the post-pandemic era.
“One of the sectors of the tourism industry that has evolved the most over the past 15 years is, in particular, the hotel and tourist accommodation sector. This is partly due to a natural generational shift, which brings new tastes and trends and changes travelers’ needs and expectations,” said Pesce.
“We need to understand the changes that have taken place in recent years. Fifteen or twenty years ago, there wasn’t much difference between hotel offerings. Today, however, hotels have focused heavily on giving each of their brands a distinct identity ,” the expert said.
“This has led to greater diversity and differentiation. Hotel chains are investing in the design and creation of new brands, specifically tailored to meet the latest trends and the preferences of today’s travelers.”
According to the expert, the main goal is to ensure that the brand stands the test of time, has a unique and distinctive image, becomes part of customers’ lives, and offers authentic experiences.“You have to stand out or you’ll fall by the wayside,”he said.
Pesce also suggested considering technology that benefits the business. “Hotels today have platforms that maintain constant contact with their guests because they want guests to have a direct relationship with the hotel or the airline, without any intermediaries. That’s how they keep customers loyal.”
“Advances in new technological tools are helping to promote tourism products.”
Finally, Pesce concluded: “We need to rethink what skills our employees currently have and what skills will be needed for the future of tourism—not in five years’ time, but right now.”