No Housekeeping? No services? Make travel great again!

46% of Middle East luxury travelers plan to holiday abroad in 2021
Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

The World Tourism Network today posted a positioning paper and warned that cutting services will slow down or even stop the urgently needed rebuilding of the travel and tourism industry.

  • The World Tourism Network understands that in an age of Covid, airlines, some restaurants and hotels have had to cut back services in order to survive.
  • Unfortunately, during this period, we have seen across the world decline in the quality of the tourism product offered to the public.
  • In a post COVID-19 world this may mean the attractiveness of travel is being eliminated step for step, making a rebound difficult.

The World Tourism Network is urging industry leaders to make travel fun, exciting, and attractive again.

Cutting housekeeping and not providing other cost-saving services will slow down or even stop the rebuilding of our travel and tourism industry.

Those that will attract visitors with a smile and good services will be the winners.

Travel must be great again!

” The world will have to co-exist with COVID-19. The chance to bring travel and tourism back to 2019 levels and make it less attractive, fun, or luxurious to go on a trip is counterproductive” said Juergen Steinmetz, Chairman of the World Tourism Network.

” Those that enhance and not cut down on services will be the big winners. Money cutting measures will go coincide with business cutting consequences.
Steinmetz added.

“We encourage hotels to continue housekeeping services, keep restaurants and bars open, and don’t forget to turn down services with a smile!”

WTN wants to encourage stakeholders to work on re-enchanting tourism in the hopefully post-covid world. Travelers want to be pampered, travel should be fun, not stressful, and provide services you don’t get when staying home.

Make travel great again:

  • Reinstate regular room cleaning and changing of bedding in hotels and resorts.
  • Upgrade the service found on airlines and to do away with numerous fees.
  • Develop hours that are user friendly for travelers.
  • Don’t try to be all things to all people. 

World Tourism Network, Dr. Peter Tarlow posted the following to position paper on the WTN website.

The World Tourism Network understands that in an age of Covid, airlines, some restaurants and hotels have had to cut back services in order to survive.

Unfortunately, during this period, we have seen across the world decline in the quality of the tourism product offered to the public.  Certainly, part of the reason for this decline has been the pandemic. The pandemic might not be the only reason for this decline.  Careful observers of the travel and tourism scene were already noting the possible beginning of a downward trend prior to the pandemic and this decline in quality of service will in the long run hurt the tourism industry.

Reasons cited for this decline in the quality of customer service range from the high cost of fuel to the weakening of the economy in many western nations.  Although these reasons are valid and true, they only give part of the story. Furthermore, from the travel and tourism industry’s perspective, they are passive reasons: things that happen to the industry.  If the travel and tourism industry is to succeed in these hard times, it must do more than merely see itself as a victim of the economy or other people’s evil it must also examine itself to see where it too can improve.

Perhaps the greatest threat to the leisure industry (and to a lesser extent to the business travel industry) is the fact that travel had lost a good deal of its romance and enchantment. In its rush for efficiency and quantitative analysis, the travel and tourism industry may have forgotten that each traveler represents a world unto him/herself, and quality must always override quantity.

Especially in the leisure travel industry, this lack of enchantment has meant that there are fewer and fewer reasons to want to travel and to participate in the tourism experience.

For this reason, the World Tourism Network urges the industry to:

  • Reinstate regular room cleaning and changing of bedding
  • To upgrade the service found on airlines and to do away with numerous fees
  • Develop hours that are user friendly for travelers
  • Not to try to be all things to all people.
  • Create enchantment through product development. Advertise less and give more.

If tourism is to recover from the absence in the business in the last year and a half then it shall have to find ways to exceed expectations and never overstate your case. The best form of marketing is a good product and good service.  The tourism industry must provide what it promises at prices that are reasonable.

The tourism industry must create a safe and secure atmosphere. There can be little enchantment if people are afraid. Enchantment-oriented businesses and communities realize that everyone has a part to play in creating a positive tourism experience and one that creates a unique and special environment not only for the visitor but for tourism businesses and communities.

Dr. Peter Tarlow
President

About the author

Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

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