07 Jul 2020

Generate trust with the client. The main objective of the tourist reactivation.

Tour Operators and Travel Agents present tourist proposals and experiences with all the guarantees.

Although since the beginning of July the borders have been opened in almost all the countries that make up the European Union, the reservations for holiday programmes or trips to the different tourist destinations come mainly from their national market. Tourism in a natural location or seaside resorts are the main preferences of families. On the other hand, travel agents and tour operators offer a product adapted to the current situation despite the fact that the recovery is quite slow. All companies linked to the tourism sector agree that the common objective is to generate consumer confidence, whether they are tourists or visitors. The desire to travel has not disappeared, but a level of confidence is required that generates total peace of mind both when travelling and when enjoying a new tourist experience.

By this summer, the increase in tourism from the countries of the European Union will be determined by the recovery of air connections. The European Commission is promoting the establishment of safe corridors to and from countries that are in the same evolution in dealing with the pandemic and in forecasting contagion. Travellers are well aware of the restrictions they may encounter and the potential risks that may arise when looking for bookings to prepare for their holidays or travel this summer. In any case, efforts are being made to avoid massive concentrations.

In this new stage of preparing tourism products and services, the digital transformation of the customer experience during the trip will be paramount. Right now, users no longer have the need to interact since technology allows them to make reservations, check in or contact room service from the same mobile phone as the user. The main demands of customers to start travelling are oriented to receive a guarantee of health and safety measures. On the part of companies and tour operators, it is important that they are applying them, that they are communicating with the customer and user and that they are certified to generate a level of trust. Apart from this certified cleaning and the implementation of processes, technology currently already allows control over access and capacity, both in closed and open spaces, and facilitates the management of safety distances between people.

At the end of June, the Institute for Tourism Quality (ICTE), published specific regulations on measures to reduce the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which included actions to design and implement these measures in the tourism sector. The document sets out the guidelines and requirements for the management of the risk of contagion, measures for the organization of events, social functions and capacity controls to ensure the maintenance of safe distances. It covers all fields in the management of cleaning and disinfection, including catering services, waste management and parking and transport areas. The same document has incorporated specifications on the appropriate use of masks, gloves and action protocols in case any contagion can be detected.

The tourism sector has overcome different crises in the last twenty years, but the current situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic is unprecedented and therefore there will also be a before and after in the tourism sector.

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Tourism suggestions and offers have been reinvented to suit the current situation.

Tourism has reinvented itself. The new tourist proposals and experiences that have been put on the market by different companies and tour operators are different from what we have known up to now. The trend towards sustainable and environmentally friendly tourism has increased significantly

Other initiatives from official tourism promotion bodies have also been launched. For example, Tourism of Barcelona has launched the #MarketPlace. This is a platform that presents an offer of products and experiences with the aim of helping to fully enjoy the city. There are offers and services to be carried out in the open air, to look for accommodation, cultural and gastronomic activities, wine tourism experiences or mobility proposals to visit the city in a group or with the family.

Other demands preferred by tourists and visitors are those that combine outdoor activities in a natural environment. In this sense, the wine tourism programs offer a complete experience that can combine nature, culture, gastronomy and a walk among vineyards. The Catalan Agency of Tourism already proposes different proposals to discover wine tourism, but some wineries of the different Catalan denominations of origin complement their agricultural and wine activity with tourist programmes adapted to the current situation. To highlight some of them, Caves Llopart, which already offers visits for small groups and families since last June, allows you to make a walk to the enclosure of the Heredad Can Llopart and enjoy a landscape in a wine environment, or make a tasting of its sparkling wines combined with lunch at the restaurant of the Mirador de las Cavas. In its program already is included the information of the measures oriented to the protection of the health, adding the protocols to follow for tourists and visitors at the time of carrying out its enotourist experience.

Apart from the Penedès, an area of recognized enotourism prestige, the Priorat has also managed to highlight its proposal linked to the culture of wine on a global scale. Its offer shows a unique territory that allows you to contemplate the architecture and heritage of the area and tour its landscapes, visit wineries or taste wines from the DO Priorat or DO Montsant. In short, Catalonia has a very complete programme of experiences around the Wine Route.

Finally, to complement the programs that allow to recover a certain activity in the tourist sector, there is also interest in activities in a nature environment, such as hiking and cycling, or also enjoy a few days of relaxation by the sea. In sun and beach tourism, Catalonia is the ideal destination. In the Costa Brava you can find the deepest beaches and coves. On the Barcelona coast there are wider beaches with all kinds of services. And if you travel to the Costa Daurada you can enjoy those long, fine sand beaches where, no matter how far you go into the sea, it is difficult for the water to reach your neck. These beaches are ideal for children if you are travelling with your family and children.