The enormous pressures on leisure - brought on by COVID-19
Until hit by the coronavirus pandemic, global travel kept dramatically rising every year, with people considering travel as a necessity rather than a luxury - to the extent that it became an important part of their lives.
The increasing number of travelers resulted in an ever-increasing flood of hotel bookings, raising hotel occupancies and prompting a rush to build more hotels to cater to the continually rising demand.
COVD-19 changed all that in an instant. Bringing about forced lockdowns, compelling people to avoid other people, and when able to move around, keep a safe distance. The trauma thus created put increasing pressure on the everyday routines in our lives. Consequently, people were desperate and were on the lookout for a crucial outlet to relieve the built-up stress.
Worker layoffs, spending cuts, uncertain business environment and, the omnipresent dangers for further economic set-backs all joined forces, to diminish the real value of peoples’ incomes and their savings.
Fundamentally, spending patterns have significantly changed in the long-term, with people becoming more conscious of how much going on holiday can cost, and have begun looking for bargains. Such behaviours will invariably filter through the booking of hotel stays. That’s when the hospitality industry will need to tread very carefully.
Against this backdrop, holidays for the majority of hard-pressed people may become shorter and less frequent. Many will opt to go to easily accessible local destinations rather than those that require complex travel arrangements involving enhanced safety protocols at border crossings.
Those who have had ‘staycations’ during the closed border periods will now want to venture out on overseas journeys, once travel restrictions are removed or eased. To them, having to put up with the hassle of getting to the airport many hours earlier than before, and the masked flight itself comes at a high price – both in terms of time and money. Consequently, their every minute on such trips will count and the pressure on airlines and hotels to ‘get it right’, will be enormous. This means, the demands of such guests for good service and their tendency to complain and seek compensation for negative experiences will be high.
Lastly, the hospitality industry, while focusing on guest comfort, safety and wellness, cannot ignore the equally important human element that it is heavily reliant upon – staff. Millions of hotel employees have been compelled to put their jobs and careers on hold. To get them to return to services, both physically and psychologically, after prolonged isolation and minimal socialization, to interact with customers face-to-face and follow the new routines as a team, will be challenging.
Shafeek Wahab – Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Trainer, Ex-Hotelier
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