COVID-19: Recovery of the Hospitality industry

The entire world is still in shock even the infection and fatality rates already started the dive. Once the virus threat is controlled, the next big challenge is to recover from the economic crisis caused by global lockdowns. Almost all industries are affected by the crisis one way or another. Among those affected industries Hospitality takes a special place because it generates revenue for local economies directly and creates millions of jobs across all levels. This post primarily targets SMEs in the hospitality industry, travel agents, tour operators, and policymakers and we discuss possible avenues that may lead to a fast recovery of the industry.

The recovery of the industry will align with the end of lockdowns. As many experts predict, end of lockdowns will be carried out through several stages, it will be districts first, then states or provinces, and so on. Be prepared to open your office, hotel, or the establishment on the very first chance you get and start laying plans for immediate and long-term recovery. You may have to first host your friends and neighbors, as they will be the ones living at a close distance to come for a meal, picnic, or a staycation. At this point you should be careful to understand the post-pandemic mindsets and demands from your guests.

After a long lockdown they're desperate to reunite with their families and loved ones. People are desperate to reunite with nature. Not everyone is lucky to have a big backyard or a garden. People miss the ability of going for a walk with their loved ones and most importantly people come out of the lockdown with cravings to eat food made by someone else. They don't want to do their dishes. Understand this mindset, needs that everyone has, and do everything you possibly can to create that special time everyone expects. Create romantic yet practical experiences keeping security, safety, and hygiene in mind. Don't expect large groups, target families, and small groups of people. Phase-out your plans to make sure that the experiences you create are in line with stages of lockdown release.

Small businesses will get the first chance of recovery and it will gradually spread towards large businesses when people are comfortable enough to cross borders. Until that happens, the large enterprises shouldn't stay idle. They have the capacity and the ability to set the backdrop for the future of the industry. Use digital marketing to promote your country, stories, and experiences your industry offer. Visual presentation has a huge impact when expressing your ideas to a remote crowd. Use digital platforms and social media effectively. Talk about why you're special and unique experiences you offer. This communication is a key contributor to a fast recovery. And the communication should happen across the board, not just between you and the consumer. It should happen between businesses as well. Use the collaboration of large enterprises with SMEs, like operators, transport services, restaurants, etc. to speed up the recovery. When you signup a guest for a reservation, recommend other restaurants, experiences, etc. nearby you. During the lockdown people always think, where to go, what to see next, and they spend a lot of time on social media. Use this to become a part of those potential customer's thought processes, throw them different options with visual material. 

Travel agents need to understand the post-lockdown mindset, requirements and adjust/re-package existing products accordingly. Add more nature-oriented experiences like birdwatching, convert existing walking experiences into picnics. Start conversations with travelers, operators, restaurants, hotels, camps, etc. to create new products. One thing to remember is, when communicating and working with multiple parties, trust and quality plays a big role. As everyone in the industry is at the absolute bottom now, when recovering trust and quality will be major commodities.

Policymakers hold a massive responsibility in this recovery operation as well. Primarily they need to take measures to keep all business people motivated and maintain their morale high. An optimistic and motivated mind can make wonderful changes. Also, it's up to the policymakers to encourage businesses not to reduce prices and prevent races to the bottom by trying to offer the lowest price. Citizens of the country can contribute to the recovery efforts of the hospitality industry. Taking care of local businesses is one thing, at the same time, during the lockdown period use your digital presence to become an ambassador to your country and promote everything good about it. Policymakers and encourage the general public and drive this campaign. These are very effective yet cost-effective campaigns that every country can try.

In a future post we're hoping to discuss what we can do in terms of re-inventing businesses and taking contingent measures to prevent from running into a similar crisis again. Until then, focus on Survive, Recover, and Thrive!