Bases for a Sustainable Economic and Social Reconstruction.

At the moment, two crises are happening simultaneously: the health crisis caused by COVID-19 and its consequences on health, and the economic crisis, derived from the need for confinement to face the pandemic, with enormous social consequences and consequences for employment, derived from the paralysis of the economy, commerce and Tourism.

As a result of the latter, the health crisis is giving way to a necessary and urgent stage of recovery in the world economy.

Specialists predict that the health crisis will be temporary, but the landscape after the battle will nevertheless leave an economic and employment crisis that will be a great challenge, but reconstruction from which may also be a great opportunity to shape more economically resilient, more socially fair and more environmentally sustainable societies.

The reconstruction of the economy to guide it towards sustainability is an opportunity that the countries of the world cannot let slip by. 

2030 Agenda

Social dialogue and the Sustainable Development Goals that comprise the United Nations 2030 Agenda are a good guide, more necessary than ever, to solve the challenges of our time, so uncertain and so turbulent.

Ultimately, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are oriented, among other goals, towards having public health systems, facing infectious diseases and the consequences they bring, eradicating poverty, promoting decent employment and guiding the industrial and transport systems and consumption towards sustainable models. 

Those countries that were more oriented towards a path of compliance with the SDGs and closer to achieving these objectives, will be able to face the pandemic and subsequent reconstruction under better conditions.

In countries where work has begun with some success in the process of rebuilding the social and economic fabric, regional and collective solutions are beginning to be applied.

In this context, we joined the United Nations campaign during July, highlighting Goal 9, the objective of the month, dedicated to Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure due to the disruption that companies in this sector have had to endure since the beginning of the pandemic, including teleworking and video conferencing systems inside and outside the workplace, in health services and education, as well as basic goods and services.

Tourism, Resilience and Trends

What is next for the Tourism sector?

Valuable consumer information and post-pandemic trends are being shared.  This information is relevant, both for destinations and for companies, because it is known that there will be a high level of mistrust in the initial stages of recovery and taking this information into account will help to design the reconstruction strategy for the sector.

In the current context, flexibility and agility are essential. The crisis, be it economic, social, environmental or health, will become the ‘new norm’, and we must adapt our business models and practices to this new scenario in the same way that this has historically happened during other scenarios derived from pandemics. 

What we have learned is that these great crises are always generating new scenarios in which uncertainty reigns, but with them also comes opportunity.

• Customers will travel to destinations that provide a greater feeling of confidence and that guarantee safety. 

• Loyalty will be the key word, both for tour operators and for destinations. 

• Generally, natural destinations will be preferred, and travellers will be wary of destinations that are traditionally geared towards mass Tourism. 

• Group tours will decline during the early stages.

• There will be more “a la carte” tourist offers.

• Digital connectivity will be vital.

• Airports and borders will be more demanding in their controls.

• Offers and opportunities will coexist, with highly differentiated services at more expensive prices. 

• New destinations will also emerge and there will be new entrepreneurs within the sector. 

• The relationship between tourists and residents should be of mutual interest, an issue that destinations must deal with intelligently.

Despite the great limitations and challenges of the situation, we will not stop travelling. Travel is at the very core of humanity. It is in our DNA. Travel is our simplest pursuit of freedom and happiness. Travelling will always be a symbol of individual freedom.

Therefore, we know that Tourism will be able to recover. Its capacity for resilience has already been demonstrated numerous times.

If there is anything we can be certain of for now, it is that this pandemic will also lead us into new scenarios. For this reason, building resilience at the global level is key to successfully facing and managing the challenges that the current scenario presents us with. 

Daniela Otero,

CEO Skål International