Let’s get as many positive messages and stories to consumers as we can, says If Only’s Gordon McCreadie
It’s time we get our customers excited and offer them something new and give them some positive news from the industry, now that the world has finally reopened.
I feel it is imperative that we all look to the future and talk about some of the new luxury hotels and cruise ships coming to market.
When I was in Dubai last week, we had the pleasure of seeing new luxury resort Atlantis The Royal, which looks out of this world. I can’t wait to see it again when it’s completely finished. We also had members of our team on board Celebrity Cruises’ new Edge-class ship Celebrity Beyond, and it’s safe to say they were all very impressed.
Over the past few weeks, I also attended the Advantage Conference in Madeira and Arabian Travel Market in Dubai. It was great to see the whole industry back together, united and seemingly positive about the future, despite what some headlines might say.
Taking part in lots of forward-thinking conversations and seeing so many people face-to-face again rather than over Zoom has been refreshing, to say the least.
With good days and bad days, the industry isn’t fully back to 2019 levels yet, but it’s time the national headlines gave us a break and started giving us credit for how far we have come. It feels like the national media is constantly against us, with negative stories centred on passport delays, airport queues resulting in missed flights and staff shortages. Then there’s the constant talk of recession, bringing more unwanted challenges, including having to reassure customers about their summer and other forward bookings.
Economic powerhouse
However, the latest research from the World Travel & Tourism Council shows that as the world finally starts to return to some kind of normality, the travel and tourism sector’s contribution to the global economy could reach $8.6 trillion this year, just 6.4% below pre-pandemic levels.
It is clear consumers have been gearing up for that long overdue holiday they have been so desperately craving over the past few years, and that the age of the staycation has slowed down as more destinations open up around the world.
While aviation experts expect long-haul flights to take a few years to fully recover, many airlines are adding new routes and reviving established ones.
Several long-haul destinations, such as Australia and New Zealand, have started opening up to fully‑vaccinated international arrivals, so we can expect a jump in long-haul bookings this year.
Bravo for brochures
In an article published recently by Clear B2B, the marketing agency said it recognised that digital is here to stay but UK trends for print are far from dwindling.
In fact, the travel industry is the fifth-largest producer of printed brochures globally, indicating a massive appetite for tangible marketing. A report in The Guardian in January also signified the public’s caution with digital media due to the ease with which it can be manipulated, with only 24% trusting online sources as much as printed content.
One of the things that sets our industry apart is the sense of excitement a brochure can generate. We all still love a good brochure, and sitting down with your family or the person you’re planning to share that experience with sets the tone for the whole holiday.
That can’t happen without making sure the quality of print matches the quality of design, not to mention the quality of product, which is what we’re keen to work on at If Only for our future brochures.
Having everything accessible in the blink of an eye in a digital format is convenient and quick, of course, but a Kindle just doesn’t match turning a fresh page in a new book. That is why, in my opinion, brochures are here to stay, and that’s the feedback we are getting from our luxury agent partners.
And now that travel has turned the page, let’s all start looking forward together as an industry and get as many positive messages and stories to our consumers as we can.