One of the most affected by the pandemic sectors of the economy was the sphere of tourism and hospitality. According to the UN World Tourist Organization (Unwto), in 2020, export income from tourism decreased by $ 1.3 trillion, which makes this year the worst for the industry in the history of observations.
Nevertheless, the pandemic is gradually decline, the air traffic between the countries is restored, and more and more people make tourist and business trips. In this article we will consider what innovations in business tourism appeared during the Pandemia of Coronavirus.
More flexible business trips planning
Pandemia’s experience taught the company to carefully approach the planning of business trips. Due to the fact that many events and business meetings switched to an online format, some of the trips were generally canceled. However, sometimes personal presence is still necessary, and in this case it is important to correctly evaluate the risks and provide for different scenarios.
For example, when planning a business trip (especially foreign), individual attention will need to be paid to the collection of information about the current situation at the destination, as well as the rules and conditions of entry and stay.
A more common practice will be the purchase of tickets for a reciprocal tariff and booking hotels with the possibility of canceling or transferring dates of residence. Also, employees will more often arrange medical insurance, even for trips within the country.
In general, in the conditions of increased risks, business trips will be more often evaluated from the point of view of the return of investment (ROI).
New formats of business trips
The pandemic of coronavirus has led to the emergence of new business travel formats, such as combining a trip with a vacation (Bleisure Tourism-from Business + Leisure) or even longer travels combined with remote work (working-from Work + Vacation).
The trend for Bleisure Tourism has arisen even before the pandemic, but recently it has grown rapidly. As part of such a trip, an employee can combine business meetings and inspection of attractions, and even take a family or friends with him.
Another travel format that has become especially popular during the pandemic is the so -called workation, that is, a remote work combined with accommodation in another country, city or region. Due to the fact that the companies during the pandemic transferred employees to the remote, they had the opportunity to work from different places, which many used.
Epidemiological safety measures
Apparently, the restrictions and measures introduced during the Pandemia of Coronavirus will stay with us for a long time and will become a new standard for traveling.
This includes recommendations to observe a social distance, wear masks in a closed room, measure the temperature at the entrance to the terminal or station, use the sanitizers and so on.
Also, in the near future, the requirement to provide a certificate of a negative test for coronavirus when entering another country will be preserved. In some cases, it can be replaced with a certificate of vaccination or a certificate of antibodies.
