Sustainable Future for a COVID-19 World
Rob Holmes
As the travel industry adapts to a post-pandemic world, sustainability must be its spine.
The travel industry is going to be transformed in many ways when it is allowed to operate again. New health and safety standards have become norms. Refund policies and customer support processes have been overhauled. Outdoor tourism and wellbeing products are going to be on every travel editor’s pages, rather than just niche ones. Having been part of the sustainable travel movement for over a decade, one of the most exciting developments for us is that sustainability will be at the center of this transformation. We welcome this opportunity and are well equipped and experienced to offer content marketing support, strategy and insight at this time of global turnaround in tourism.
Why is sustainable tourism back on the agenda big time?
The main reason for a renewed focus on sustainable tourism is consumer demand. Totally unprecedented, we have all personally experienced the effects of the pandemic and, as a result, have gained a new, or renewed appreciation of our local communities, economies and natural heritage, the education of our future generations and, last but not least, climate change. Here are our top tips on how to put sustainability at the core of your business model moving forward:
12 ESSENTIAL STEPS FOR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM:
1. Strategic Plan -- If sustainability was on the periphery of your business activities until now, it’s time to place it at the core of your strategic plans. We offer training and guidance on how to prioritize sustainability and responsible tourism and will be delighted to support you in this mission.
2. Team Empowerment -- Strong teamwork is crucial at the best of times, but especially during a period of transformation. Empower your team to become sustainability experts and enthusiasts. We can provide resources such as webinars, films and articles to inspire and educate your team. If everyone is on board, then your organization will live and breathe sustainability, and all decision-making will be informed by it.
3. Invest Now in Sustainable Tourism -- If you haven’t already, now is a good time to invest in sustainable tourism development. Foundational investments will pay off when tourists return. Engage with sustainable tourism experts and connect with influencers. Invest in updating your website content so that it shows your commitment to sustainability moving forward.
4. Team Diversity -- Team Diversity -- Diversity and sustainability go hand in hand and it should inform every aspect of your strategies moving forward. Seek expert advice to create an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) policy and then to act in a way that ensures you are covering all bases in a diverse and fair way. In sustainable tourism, as with all sectors, everyone must have a voice and a place at the table.
5. Safety is Part of Sustainability -- Safety is at the forefront of all travelers’ minds. However, as well as protecting travelers, you need to ensure your staff and community are safe. It is also important that you communicate what your new safety measures are in your content. Perhaps some of your staff are volunteering to support the community and keep it safe? You should also mention this in your content as these are excellent stories to tell.
6. Rethink Success -- Tourism success that is based on quantity rather than quality is rapidly being rethought as a way of measuring success. Prior to the pandemic, overtourism was starting to become a major issue for many destinations. Moving forward, tourism will have more of a focus on the number of high-value travelers you attract, and providing slow travel products to cater for this rapidly growing market will be key. Measuring the amount of time a traveler spends in a destination, as well spread of their tourist spend locally, will become the norm. Airport arrivals stats and numbers of ‘heads in beds’ will no longer be the gauge of positive growth.
7. Rethink Your Products & Experiences -- One of the silver linings of the pandemic period is a renewed appreciation of natural heritage, outdoor activities, mindfulness and wellness. This will be a growth sector moving forward, so it is a good time to map out all the relevant experiences that travelers can do in your destination, especially ones that are unique to you. Connect with activity providers, learn their stories and link them to yours.
8. Invest Locally -- Inclusivity is now part of modern business practice and this doesn’t just apply to your marketing, hiring and in-house policies and practices. It also means being including the local community in your roadmap. In order to ensure that tourist spend stays in the region, check your supply chain for any broken links, and fix them. Or create a whole new chain if necessary, including not only local accommodation and activity providers but also local guides, artists, photographers, bakeries, soap makers, car rental, farm shops and so on. In choosing these suppliers, ensure that they also have a local policy - does the small local hotel you use source as much as they can locally? If not, why not? If you are investing in them, it’s time to ask them these questions too.
9. Collaborate -- One thing that we have much more of at the moment, as we wait for the surge of tourists to come back, is time. Use this time to talk with everyone, especially sustainably minded stakeholders, and make this come- back a team effort. Sharing during crisis time opens up opportunities. You gain trust in new potential partners and can create lasting solutions towards a more sustainable future.
10. Do Not Sustainability-wash -- Sustainability is a big word and no one ticks all the boxes. But transparency is key here. Travelers are switched on to sustainability and, if you cut corners, you will be found out. A good sustainability policy and strategy shows what you have achieved and what you are working towards. Travelers, the travel media and everyone who is affected positively or negatively by tourism impacts, will be much more interested in engaging if they can see that you are honest and transparent on how your brand will meet travelers’ demands in this new era of travel.
11. Embrace Local Storytelling -- We have all been on a journey during the pandemic, and stories have kept us all together. It is well known that storytelling works in content marketing but the human element is going to play an even more important role moving forward. Storytelling and filmmaking can be challenging but also rewarding in that they deliver a high return on investment, create community engagement and have the potential to reignite the power of tourism.
12. Innovate -- Invite change and celebrate the fact that sustainability is no longer a niche. How can you make sustainability a fundamental aspect of your travel organization? You might need to shake things up a bit, but this is when the most exciting changes happen. It’s time to challenge your destination, organization or brand, stay strong and show that you can become a leader in this new era of sustainable and meaningful travel.