The tourism sector has undoubtedly been the most affected by the pandemic. The dreaded tourist zero was with us for several months during the past year, but it seems that little by little the light is being seen at the end of the tunnel, and that a small glimmer of hope strikes this new normal.
The ways of doing tourism that we knew have undergone a great change. Preferences, the type of tourist and their consumption model have been changing as the situation has also changed. That is why the focus of the industry is now in a different place than it was before the pandemic.
What is certain is that these new needs and tourist models are here to stay, so you have to adapt to them.
What are the preferences?
Holiday homes seem to be the preferred type of accommodation for this new tourism. The independence and privacy they provide, as well as the possibility of avoiding human contact and crowded spaces, are points in favor for this new era of tourism.
Another point to take into account is cleaning and disinfection. Despite the fact that hygiene is something that has always been one of the priorities when choosing accommodation, now there are also so-called sanitary guarantees, which are undoubtedly one of the new requirements of this new post-pandemic era.
Similarly, the flexibility of reservations understood as the modification of dates or cancellations due to COVID-19 is something that guests pay great attention to. The doubts and insecurities that derive from the uncertainty when booking a trip due to the current situation means that not everything is as simple as it was before. Therefore, offering flexible cancellation policies to ensure that money will not be lost in the event that you cannot travel due to force majeure is essential.
New types of tourists
What is clear is that tourism as we have understood it so far has changed, and that therefore this situation opens the way to new types of tourists that are increasingly on the rise.
In the same way that teleworking has become an increasingly common practice in different companies, the type of tourist who can carry out their work from anywhere in the world has done so as well. Here we differentiate two large groups.
Digital nomads are an increasingly common figure. These are people who use the internet to carry out their occupation, and therefore can carry out their work from anywhere, so they usually decide to take advantage of this situation to discover different parts of the world.
They are characterized by being adventurous and spending short periods in different places, working at the same time as they discover and tour this new place.
The teleworker was, however, a figure that already existed. These are companies that enable their workers to carry out their activity without having to go to the office, through the internet.
In the situation in which we find ourselves, more and more companies have decided to transfer their activity to the online format, which is why this type of worker is also on the rise.
The desire to travel added to the possibility of working outside the office have made telecommuters another new type of tourist.
These two new types of tourists, who balance work with enjoying time and discovering new places, are here to stay. A type of tourism that you should bet on and that is, little by little, activating this sector again.