6th November, 2020
The travel sector is going through its toughest balancing act – staying afloat with less. Every penny has to be meticulously spent, contribute to the much-needed cashflow. And most importantly, every stakeholder is looking to play a bigger role than ever, foraying into unchartered territories to ensure the demand is captured in the best possible manner.
Even as senior travel industry executives, for instance, Travelport’s CEO Greg Webb recommend rapid, accurate testing at airports as a feasible alternative to maintain traveler safety, it is imperative for travel brands to be open and up-dated about every aspect of a trip.
It is not what travel providers usually focus on, even though it is a part of the services they need to provide, acknowledges Manuel Hilty, CEO, Nezasa. “You don’t need to know everything on your own, you just need to build a solid partnership and network of expertise,” he says.
As for what products to offer in order to match expectations of a consumer, Plusgrade 2020 Survey underlined that travelers intend to “travel better” and are showing signs of paying a premium. A seat-blocker is not a “COVID product”, highlighted Pramod Jain, COO, Plusgrade.
New initiatives are coming along - Airasia.com’s travel vertical has been expanded to encompass non-AirAsia flights; Wizz Air’s mobile app has added ground mobility services for both pre-booking and on-demand requests. The airline launched this mobility platform with CarTrawler.
“This emphasis on the customer will help rebuild the travel sector and offer strong foundations on which we can all grow and thrive,” said Aileen McCormack, Chief Commercial Officer at CarTrawler.