Visions from Members

Agència Catalana de Turisme (Catalan Tourism Board)

“The global health crisis we are experiencing hides another long-term crisis, the one resulting from the climate emergency, and leads to an economic crisis that has a high potential to transform the current social, political and economic model. This will entail a profound transformation since it will be based on changes in the behavior of society that will come out from one fear to face another. The impact on tourism activity will not be short-term, but rather structural. The way Tourism is understood, will certainly change tourism, and a new model will be set up. To meet this challenge, we have two levels of transformation: innovation (not just technological and digital innovation) and sustainability. On April 21, European Commissioner Breton, already stressed to the  European Parliament the need for a transition towards sustainability from digitalisation as one of the key axes of the recovery for the sector, echoing the request from NECSTouR (European Network of Regions for Sustainable and Competitive Tourism), whereby sustainable tourism, in the framework of the European Green Deal, should definitely be considered as part of the solution and not the problem”.

Barcelona Town Council. Xavier Marcé, Tourism and Creative Industries

“The current crisis raises, on the one hand, the urgency of responding to an economic sector that supports between 9 and 14% of employment in Barcelona alone. This is the first and most immediate priority. But it also gives us an unexpected opportunity to redirect those aspects of the tourism model, which despite of being broadly agreed, were not positive.

The technological and digital leap is becoming more imperative than ever, and this is fuelled by the need for accurate information and the issuance of messages on health and safety that will be a requirement in order to offer confidence to visitors and stimulate their movement, and ultimately, consumption. Thus, everything we had planned in regard to tourism flows management (carrying capacity, real-time information, data analysis, queue management…), will have to be reformulated and strengthened to respond to the new needs of postCOVID tourism.

On the other hand, in a scenario that predicts, at least temporarily, capacity limitations and restrictions on large agglomerations, the generation of new content that allows diversification and dissemination of the offer of attractions becomes a top priority”.

Vila-seca town Council

“The pandemic caused by Covid19 will change our society from top to bottom, both in terms of how we relate to the environment and our consumption patterns. This, of course, will also affect the way we understand holidays and travel, in its broadest sense, not only in terms of travel but also when it comes to finding and booking a flight or a hotel.

Destinations and tourism companies will have to work harder than ever to listen to the visitor and adapt to their needs. Analyzing what will motivate each segment after this health crisis will be essential, although there are some parameters that resonate strongly in the post-coronavirus era. Customer safety and trust will revolve around other key elements such as innovation and a commitment to state-of-the-art technologies, adaptation to new hygiene regulations or adequate staff training, among others”.

Avant Grup

“Once the situation has improved and we ‘go back to normal’, the forecast is that the activity will start in the local/domestic market, whereby families will start using their private means of transport for short trips. The first moves are expected to be within the same autonomous community.

The holiday market on coastal destinations and some small-scale congresses, as well as national and short-stay events will be the next segments of activity to be launched.

A communication campaign must be developed with the aim to inspire and encourage the return to the tourism activity.

Generating confidence in the tourist destination in terms of health and hygiene will be paramount”.

Ávoris. Josep Maria Bagudà, managing director Ávoris Bedbank

“Never before had the tourism sector faced such an adverse and unknown situation within a few weeks of the start of the tourist season. Never had all the hotels been closed, the planes stopped, the travel agencies closed, and all of us working from a distance.The recovery will come, no doubt about it, however it will be slow or very slow and without a clear date. Therefore, we must be strong, optimistic, positive, and above all, put all our energy into thinking all we can do to generate maximum trust for future customers, adapting current products/ services, as well as generating new processes, new operations, new advertising, new services, new products, new technologies and new forms of post-covid customer service”.

Confederació Empresarial d’Hostaleria i Restauració de Catalunya (ConfeCat)

“During the meeting that the President of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Quim Torra, held with representatives of the Catalan tourism sector to assess and address the situation of COVID-19, the President of ConfeCat took the opportunity to convey the serious impacts on the sector and the great concern regarding the evolution and future of the tourism industry, one of which, possibly, will be most affected by the health crisis caused by COVID-19”.

This is the press clip dated 17 April

Diputació de Barcelona. Economic Development, Tourism and Business Area

“And suddenly, we have lost the references to which we had become accustomed when valuing Tourism: the Covid-19 has changed the questions we asked ourselves about the forecast that had to be expected around the supply and demand of tourism in a globalized world, without limitations. Now the questions are different and we are still not able to answer them correctly. We need some time… and when the right time comes, hopefully soon, we will rethink again on Big data management and how they can help us to understand reality. For now, we need to be very mindful of the differential changes that Covid-19 gradually and inexorably is introducing into our personal and collective behaviors. We need to appreciate how human beings can combine the dream of traveling since the ancient times, with the limitations that the pandemic is introducing into our lives. Meanwhile, we must ensure that the crisis impacts us in the least harmful way possible on the business fabric and the human capital that forms the tourism sector”.

Patronat de Turisme de la Diputació de Lleida (Tourism Board of the Diputació de Lleida)

“The coronavirus pandemic is affecting health and the economy worldwide and generating an unprecedented mobility crisis with a direct impact on the tourism sector. We do not yet know the final scope of this health crisis, but this year 2020 will be a critical year for the tourism sector. There is no doubt that there will be a before and after this situation. For the Patronat de Turisme of the Diputació de Lleida it is time to bet, more than ever, on the local/domestic market and strengthen the commitment to sustainability, highlighting local products and producers and providing them with tools for better information, management and marketing. It is also time to work on marketing and communication actions that strengthen our destination, in cooperation with the tourism private sector, bearing in mind the small tourism enterprises (ie. accommodation, inbound agencies, leisure companies…) so that we are fully prepared when the confinement is over”.

Tourism Innovation Department of Eurecat 

“The situation generated by the pandemia Covid-19 constitutes a turning point in the history of tourism development, as we know it. The way in which we will ‘rebuilt’ tourism will certainly mark the way in which we will travel, enjoy tourism products and services and, in short, we will relate to each other in the future. At the moment, the ability to adapt, the commitment to sustainability, strategic partnerships, predictive models, Artificial Intelligence and Big Data are clearly the elements that must be considered in any project / initiative that wants to be successful. The work we do at the Centre of Excellence in Tourism Innovation follows, undoubtedly, this line of thought”.

More details in this video on Youtube.

Med Playa Hotels

“It is a chimera to analyze what has happened in recent weeks, when just a few days before the break out, we were planning and preparing enthusiastically the opening of the hotels for the summer season and we were finishing the repositioning and remodeling of a few hotels, when in other parts of the country we have to close 10 hotels, in full operation, in record time.

This situation leads us to rethink the business model, planning in the short term, undertake new marketing and operational strategies, implement all those necessary protocols and measures that the regional and national health authorities dictate in order to prevent the spread of the epidemic. As per usual, MedPlaya, is taking care not only of its customer but also its employees, so that we can all continue working and enjoying for the fun of all the families, couples and groups that visit us regularly in our hotels”.