“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating global socio-economic impact, our recent research shows that more than 197 million jobs are at risk, which would cause a loss of more than USD 5.5 trillion to Travel & Tourism GDP worldwide. Gloria Guevara, President & CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Now, as things come under control, we’re seeing a rebound in demand, we’ve launched a USD 500 million fund for partners, and we’re offering flexible, safe, and discounted travel options for customers – to help our customers and the industry ‘travel on’.” That’s why from the onset of the pandemic, our teams have worked tirelessly to process over RMB 30 billion in cancellations, and we’ve given our partners over RMB 1 billion in financial support. “At Group, we believe it is our duty to guide travellers and the industry through this challenging period. I am looking forward to sharing trends, consumer insights and principles that could help marketers respond in the ‘new normal’.” As a result, there is no longer a predictable normal when it comes to how consumers behave, and this is particularly true when it comes to the way they are thinking about travel. “COVID-19 has led to a generational shift in the way the world operates, the travel industry almost came to a halt with global interest in travel dropping 3 times of that of pre-COVID times (based on search data). Hermione Joye, Sector Lead, Travel & Vertical Search APAC, Google China, the UK, and Germany are among those with greatest potential in domestic travel.” On the other hand, there is a major opportunity to capitalise on domestic travel and younger and family travellers, as most consumers are expecting to travel less – especially internationally – after COVID-19. However, traveller confidence is still low, and recovery is slower than expected. While global tourism may return to previous levels in 2022, China, Indonesia, and the US stand out in optimism, with travel in China coming back to around half of the previous levels currently. For instance, USD 0.9 trillion to 1.2 trillion has been lost in export revenues from tourism worldwide. Yet there are implications for the wider economy and businesses.
“COVID-19 is a major humanitarian challenge. Here is a selection of their expert observations: Seven internationally-respected speakers representing different sectors discussed the latest consumer sentiments and behaviour, and gave their insights into the challenges confronting the industry. He invited trade partners from around the world to support the platform by providing enticing offers for travelling to Hong Kong as a leading destination for visitors from every continent. We must pool our knowledge and expertise and draw on our collective ingenuity to navigate the challenges that lie ahead of us.”ĭr Pang highlighted initiatives Hong Kong’s tourism industry has taken to stay ahead of the curve in containing the spread of the pandemic, and announced that the HKTB would team up with the HKSAR Government and trade partners to create “Open House Hong Kong” – a unique and region-leading travel platform to tell the world Hong Kong is a COVID-safe destination ready to welcome back visitors with attractive offerings and exciting experiences.
“Our cooperation must cross geographical and business boundaries. “As an industry, our central mission must be to give every traveller the confidence and reassurance that their trip is safe from start to finish,” he said. In his opening remarks, HKTB Chairman Dr YK Pang emphasised the importance of restoring consumer confidence. Over 4,000 tourism industry representatives, journalists, and academics registered for the event as global industry leaders share insights into the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on travel, how the industry should respond, and the trends to expect as people begin travelling again in the post-pandemic period. Dr YK Pang, Chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, highlights the importance of restoring consumer confidence in his opening remarks at today’s online forum “Beyond COVID-19: Global Tourism’s New Normal”.