Everything that was once deemed normal was changed the moment we experienced the pandemic. The coronavirus affected businesses, schools, and even travel, and we were all forced to stay at home.
The tourism industry worldwide took a massive hit due to state-wide lockdowns that prohibited local and international travel. So, how will this sector build itself up after the pandemic ends? Let’s take a look at how the tourism industry is coming back to life as restrictions ease.
Tourists are defined as short-term visitors who stay for at least 24 hours in a location. Their visit might be considered leisure if they travel for relaxation, health, sport, vacation, research, or religious reasons.
As such, the activity of travelling and visiting is defined and recognised as tourism. It is essentially a collection of related tourism activities that occur when visiting a location.
Tourism that is well-managed benefits everyone. This industry can be especially significant in regional locations since it diversifies the economic base and increases employment.
Here are some examples of fields related to tourism:
Hospitality is a broader industry that encompasses numerous tourism-related companies. Tourism firms are frequently classed as hospitality businesses because they rely on deep and lasting connections with their clients to flourish.
The tourism and hospitality sectors are distinct. The former is a smaller industry that focuses only on travel activities. The latter is a more significant industry that covers all companies requiring solid and lasting client connections.
For example, tourism involves giving guided tours to tourists whereas hospitality involves assisting customers to ensure they have a positive experience.
To keep up with the demand and competition, the tourism and hospitality industry has to stay updated with the latest trends to garner more tourists. Here are some of the upcoming trends:
Here are some careers related to the tourism sector:
Tourism is essentially a reasonably broad business that consists of numerous sectors or sub-industries that produce and supply a variety of similar but distinct products and services that drive tourism demand and enable tourists to tour and travel.
Hence, here are some reasons why tourism is essential:
Tourism contributes to a country’s total economic growth and development as well as the advancement of its society and social structure.
For example, better roads and sanitization systems are put in place to support the industry. In addition to encouraging visitors, local residents will also benefit from it.
In 2019, it also provided roughly 10% of global GDP, making it a significant component in international and national economic growth.
One of the most admirable aspects of tourism is that it provides people with many work possibilities. Hence, within each country, the most apparent advantage of tourism is the development of jobs.
During a high tourist season, there will be an influx of customers which is great for local businesses. Tourism also creates new jobs for locals who are staying in the area in addition to, allowing many new locally-run ventures to flourish.
This is one of the main reasons many students opt to take up a hospitality and tourism degree for their tertiary studies.
When it comes to learning information and new experiences for the integrated growth of the person, tourism is a wonderful motivator for students of all ages in the educational sector.
Additionally, since tourism provides various job opportunities for the younger generation, many of them are opting to get a degree in this field.
You can try out UOW Malaysia KDU’s tourism degree programme. In this course, we will teach students to take on tasks that will be essential to their career growth in the hotel and tourist industries, with a major emphasis on strategic career development.
The locals may feel more proud of their culture and traditions as a result of tourism. Tourists will visit a nation to learn about the history behind the country and immerse themselves in the culture.
Because most tourists want an authentic experience, this allows locals to display and celebrate their traditions and culture, preserving sacred customs that might otherwise be lost.
It also encourages the growth of local heritage monuments and constructions in this way. The locations become tourist destinations, bringing money into the economy and ensuring that the sites are carefully maintained and conserved throughout time.
There is a desire for more ecologically friendly venues. Tourist attractions and businesses are now distinguishing themselves by being environmentally conscious and offering eco-tours.
Therefore, tourism, if done correctly, has a positive influence on the environment’s well-being by changing how large ecosystems are treated. Because of their importance to the tourism sector, critical natural sites are now protected and conserved.
The coronavirus outbreak in the early months of 2020 already imposed a significant threat to the tourism industry in Malaysia. There was a massive drop in tourists from Singapore and China as many countries were already imposing travel restrictions to curb the spread of the virus.
Hence, the tourism industry suffered a huge loss. This is especially so for the airline and hotel industries. For example, at least 120 hotels were closed either temporarily or permanently due to the pandemic.
Additionally, travel prohibitions and falling demand worldwide have put the airline industry at risk of bankruptcy. As a result, AirAsia, Malindo Air, and Malaysia Airlines, Malaysia’s three largest airlines, have implemented wage cuts as well as unpaid leave, depending on the income range and position.
Besides that, many tour guides struggle to cope with unemployment due to the coronavirus due to no tourists and tours.
Street vendors and local businesses who depend on tourism are also no doubt affected. For example, Ipoh’s Kampung Kacang Putih, which sells savoury snacks popular with tourists, cited that their sales were reduced by 80% due to the pandemic.
While the pandemic has cut income flow to many in the tourism industry, there are some steps that can be taken to survive this season.
Due to the scarcity of facilities, service workers, and quarantine accommodations, hotels can volunteer to serve as quarantine service centres.
This plan has the potential to benefit all parties involved. Firstly, there will be less pressure on the healthcare system. Secondly, the demand for more comfortable lodging with higher service quality for quarantined persons willing to pay for it could be met.
Lastly, service operations for hotels could be maintained to help them survive the pandemic.
However, the hotels that serve as quarantine facilities do need to be honest about their service prices and ensure that they provide the level of healthcare, hygiene, and other services that the government needs.
This transparency will give the customers more confidence and trust to use the said hotel for their quarantine.
The hotels can also focus their marketing efforts on domestic tourists. Since Malaysia is soon opening up for interstate travel, hotels can appeal to the locals by giving them promotions or discounts if they book rooms in their hotels for their vacation. ‘Staycations’ are all in the range as people look for a break from having to stay at home.
Hotels can also take advantage of their F&B department by opening their restaurants for dine-in (for fully vaccinated people) or delivery. They can collaborate with delivery services like FoodPanda or GrabFood to make their items available for the mass public to purchase. This can help keep the hotel afloat during lockdowns.
Because of the pandemic’s widespread influence on our way of life, tourists will be forced to reconsider their travel plans and set new expectations. Hence, the efforts made to relieve the tourism industry has to be planned thoroughly. Here are some examples:
Domestic tourism has the potential to revitalise the tourist sector. In most nations, domestic tourism has the most significant number of visitor arrivals and revenues and better access and transit flexibility and fewer limitations.
Besides that, it would be wiser to focus on domestic tourism instead of international as the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) predicted that international travel will only totally resume in 2024.
In Malaysia, the Malaysian Ministry of Tourism has concentrated on domestic tourism and presenting the country as a safe vacation destination to restore the tourism sector.
Moreover, several incentives and discounts for domestic tourism have been implemented to encourage individuals to discover their nation.
Destinations must portray themselves as safe and secure, simple to reach, and compliant with COVID-19 travel regulations that are acceptable and non-disruptive to travellers’ plans.
While visitors may be lured to nations that appear safer than their own, the safety message may be promoted alongside the destination’s other benefits.
Fast digitalisation has significantly impacted those working in the tourism industry, such as hotel booking. Hence, moving forward, they have to identify the potential of new technology to alter front- and back-office processes, such as e-commerce platforms, which may provide a seamless consumer experience and enhance productivity.
Besides that, due to the pandemic, people will expect more things to be contactless, so the industry will sooner or later have to adapt to contactless paying or services.
Even though there are changes bound to happen and things are seemingly uncertain at the moment, the tourism industry will start to boom once again when the borders open, which will be soon. As such, now is one of the best times to consider a diploma or a degree in tourism.
Now that travel restrictions are easing, people are slowly starting to travel once again. And with that, emerging post pandemic travel trends such as:
If you’re itching to travel after the two years of lockdown, here are some destinations to consider.
If you’ve booked your flight, here are some post pandemic travel tips to ensure a smooth journey and enjoyable experience:
Key highlights
At the end of the day, the tourism industry will survive the pandemic as it is vital to our country’s economy. Moreover, after being at our homes for more than a year, people will be opting to go for small gateways, relieving the local tourism. Drop in your inquires if you’re considering a degree in tourism industry.
Share
CATEGORY
University