Group touring could feature even smaller groups, use bigger vehicles to give customers more space and offer cheaper single rooms when it returns from the Covid-19 lockdown.
It could also involve increased disinfecting of vehicles, avoidance of public transport, use of masks and hand sanitiser and more outdoor activities in a bid to reduce the risk of infection.
That was the view of G Adventures founder Bruce Poon Tip, speaking on a webinar for UK agents this week.
He said: “There will be short, mid and long-term measures that we have to take. Some will be global guidelines, some will be rules imposed by certain destinations and places of interest, and some will be our own.
“We’ve always had the smallest group sizes, but we might get a little bit smaller in the short-term and re-evaluate in the mid-term,” he said.
Poon Tip said G Adventures would adhere to whatever guidelines are put in place at iconic landmarks and attractions, such as Machu Picchu, The Great Wall of China or the Pyramids.
“We will follow others’ guidelines and we will have some of our own. There will be complete transparency,” he said.
Poon Tip revealed G Adventures would be releasing a new ‘Travel with Confidence’ policy on Monday, detailing all the steps the company is taking to help agents reassure customers.
But he repeated previous observations that getting clients to feel comfortable getting back on a plane was the first and biggest hurdle.
“The challenge we all face is getting people to fly again,” he said.
“We can’t change the nature of a flight. There will be government standards, aviation standards and individual airline standards and the more you know about these, and can pass that onto your customers, the better because that is where the initial anxiety about starting to travel again is going to rest.”