One of the industries that took a massive hit during the pandemic is the travel sector. Most travel agencies lost a significant amount of income due to numerous travel bans. Others who managed to open immediately after lockdowns were lifted had to follow strict health and protocols to keep everyone as safe as possible.
Travel agencies needed to find a way to adapt to the new normal. Aside from the regular protocols, they need to find other ways to market their brand, boost the confidence of travelers, and ensure their income in these trying times. Failure to do all these can lead to the indefinite or permanent closing of the business.
Major Considerations to Focus on
The best way to operate your brand after the shutdown is to enforce strict health and safety protocols. This does more than just ensure your business stays compliant. This will also give your customers and employees the confidence that you are doing everything you can to keep them safe.
It is not enough that you remind your target audiences that following safety protocols is a must during the crisis. Remember that people are socially distancing and quarantining for a purpose. You have to be creative and focus on many factors, including the following:
- Enforcing strict health safety measures
- Stressing the importance of contact tracing
- Encouraging contactless transactions
You may be busy thinking about enticing your customers to come and to attract more travelers. But you also need to ensure your employees know what to expect upon your reopening. So, be sure to update existing protocols and enforce strict distancing, disinfecting, and mask-wearing inside your office. They should serve as a role model to your customers to avoid confusion and further issues.
Invest in the Right Public Relations Strategy
If you’ve been skimping on your PR ever since you started your business, then now is the best time to change all that. Everyone is concerned about their health and wellness during the pandemic. But even your most loyal members will refrain from using your services if you can’t convince them that they are safe while interacting with your brand
Chances are, you already have a website, listed your business online, and are running your own social media pages. But with a reliable PR agency for tech businesses, you can entice your audience to start using your services again. This is since they already know exactly what to do to boost the confidence of your customers.
The right PR strategy can help your business act as their customers’ professional travel advisor amidst the crisis. You can do this by educating your customers about which hotels in their travel destination are enforcing strict health and safety protocols. Travelers these days appreciate having someone advocate for them in case something happens during their trip.
Encourage Staycations to Anxious Travelers
After months of quarantine, people can’t wait to go out of their houses and travel again. But their fear of getting the virus stops them from doing so. Travel agencies can use this opportunity to encourage staycations.
Staycation simply refers to the idea of traveling without cost and the stress of traveling. This could mean staying at home and visiting nearby attractions or traveling to a destination without going abroad. Staycation makes sense since many people are still afraid to visit their travel destination outside of the country.
Promoting staycations helps people discover local attractions they haven’t visited yet before. One will be surprised by the number of frequent travelers who haven’t discovered hidden gems in their very city or country. This is one way to help the local community thrive and get your business back on track.
Digitize Your Customer Service
Most consumers would rather engage with your brand digitally than visit your agency during the pandemic. This makes it imperative that you streamline your digital touchpoints. The easier your customers can reach you during the crisis, the more customers you can win even amidst the pandemic.
Chances are, you already have someone managing your live chats, emails, and phone lines. But know that there are other ways to interact with your customers whenever they require your help. Start with a self-help and self-service feature to give your customers more freedom on your sites.
Engage with your followers on social media. Answer their comments and direct messages in a timely manner. Always be professional and try to resolve issues asap.
The new normal demands businesses to prioritize the health and safety of consumers. This is one reason why digital efforts are essential in operating your travel business. There is no need to let the pandemic ruin your business. Experts say we will need to learn how to live with the Covid-19. Learn how you can adapt to the new normal and start making revenue despite the crisis.
