New technologies, creativity and a customer experience adapted to new expectations, fundamental to the transformation of tourism
Although some limit themselves to coexist with uncertainty, others see the current situation as an opportunity to transform the tourism sector, so that it recovers as soon as possible and does not depend so much on external factors. It is an opinion held by many experts in the sector, who bet on new technologies to increase the efficiency of companies and creativity to address new ways of doing business.
Another driving force to overcome the pandemic would be, they say, the customer experience, that now demands personalization and simplification of the customer service processes. It is essential to adapt to the changing expectations of the customer, whose list of concerns currently lead health and safety. The numbers are clear: 58% of users do not have confidence when traveling by plane, 47% in staying in a hotel and 42% in renting a car, according to a study conducted by the multinational Accenture.
The data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) and Turespaña are also not optimistic: The accumulated number of foreign tourists in Spain has only decreased since January, reaching last September an index of -72.9%. In addition, the sector risks losing up to 44% of its GDP this year. These are just some of the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has hit hard on the Spanish scene.
Time will tell us what scenario will prevail in post-coronavirus Spain and whether the tourism sector will be able to sell itself with a more innovative value proposition than the traditional tourism of “sun and beach”.