The tourism industry is a thriving economic engine. In countries like Greece or Spain, it is the main source of income and has remained that way even in years of serious economic crisis.
However, that does not mean that the social and technological changes we have experienced in recent years have not put the industry in check. In fact, it has had to adapt over and over to meet the demands of the new times and consumers.
The reality is that if we want the tourism industry to preserve its dynamic model in terms of wealth and employment, it is essential that we take measures that allow us to guarantee top quality services and at the same time continue to improve people’s lives.
To achieve this goal, it is necessary to identify the challenges that the industry is facing right now and, most importantly, what tourism businesses must do to overcome them.
Disruption
Disruption is one of the main challenges that businesses in the sector must overcome. The tourism cycle of supply and demand as we knew it is no more, so companies must review their value propositions, improve their brand image, and invest resources in obtaining the necessary information to offer personalized products and services.
To this, we must add the commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), an essential concept these days that is based both on environmental and social protection proposals.
Unpredictable tastes
The general uncertainty of today’s world at an economic and social level affects the time of doing business and the progress of companies, but this also means a volatility at digital level and even consumption, making fashion to fade away quickly, that trends are replaced by new ones on a whim, and that activities, hotels, and restaurants come and go. To offset this, it is necessary to provide a unique service, manage talent well and, above all, rely on technology so as not to be left behind.
Training and employment
The rules of the game have changed at the same time as the needs of consumers. That is why tourism activities have also evolved, making it necessary to have new experts that did not exist until now.
Such is the case of digital experts in tourism with specialized profiles in areas like analytics, big data, e-commerce, and digital content, who have become essential in the general job market and in the tourism industry in particular.
