A lot of things have changed from the beginning of 2020, a year many of us will remember as the year the world stopped. With COVID-19 pandemic raging on, a number of industries have taken a hit, and as a result, they needed to change their ways and adapt to the new normal. The travel industry is no exception.
For many companies, responding to COVID-19 meant making sure their employees follow strict stay-at-home restrictions and moving their client meetings to Zoom. While many businesses have successfully adopted the remote work model, those who were used to flying frequently for business purposes are still facing challenges and looking for ways to adapt to business travel changes. While traveling, whether for business or leisure purposes, is still off-limits for the majority of people, there is no doubt that the way we travel will be dramatically different in the post-COVID-19 world. Here’s how.
Strict policies regarding hygiene will be enacted
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Travel and hospitality industries are among the few industries that have taken the biggest hit since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, many companies have gone out of business, especially when it comes to smaller companies.
Those who happened to survive the global health crisis are expected to follow a range of strict measures in terms of hygiene, sanitation, as well as social distancing in order to ensure that the clients are feeling safe while on the road. Creating a sense of safety is of the utmost importance when it comes to ensuring customer loyalty, and those companies that adhere to the rules and regulations will ensure they stay operational and prevent exposing themselves to the risk of having their businesses shut down.
Companies will invest more in loyalty programs
Loyalty programs and rewards benefit both the travel companies and the customers, and now that maximizing customer retention is more important than ever, we can expect companies to invest more in loyalty programs as well as introduce promotions and new benefits.
Pushing loyalty programs is going to allow the customers to get better travel deals and packages, enabling them to save more during and after the COVID-19 crisis. In return, travel companies can expect to boost brand awareness and ensure customer loyalty, winning back their frequent customers, and filling empty seats. While certain perks may be great, they may not last too long, and they’ll be more difficult to come by once people begin traveling again and in larger numbers.
Seeking out trustworthy travel partners
Just like loyalty programs, reliable travel partners will become essential for keeping companies afloat after the pandemic. Aside from offering rewards and enacting strict hygiene and distancing measures, another way companies will try to attract clients is by partnering with reputable businesses that will help put both the employees’ and clients’ mind at ease and ensure they’re traveling safely.
For those planning on visiting New Zealand, looking for dependable car rental in Queenstown and other locations beforehand will ensure you have trustworthy travel partners you can rely on every time you need to make a trip there. Hiring vehicles that are clean, safe, and in line with COVID-19 restrictions will ensure safe business travel and give you peace of mind whenever you have to make a trip to these regions.
Business trips will become more intentional
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If the pandemic has taught businesses anything it’s that if there is a way to do something more quickly and efficiently, there’s no reason not to do it. By now, many companies are used to the idea of teleconferencing and letting their employees work remotely, and it seems that whatever can be done virtually – will be.
While certain types of business trips will continue to be essential to businesses, certain companies are expected to leverage technology and video-teleconferencing to skip on business travel when possible and be more intentional when making a decision on which trips are essentials and which ones aren’t. On the other hand, there will be other businesses that will choose to continue with their normal travel routine after the pandemic is over, and traveling becomes safe again.
The list of travel essentials will change as well
When packing for a business trip before the outbreak, some of the concerns many of us had involved matching our outfits, figuring out the most comfortable clothes for traveling or folding our clothes in a way that will take the least space in our suitcases. Nowadays, our travel concerns are much different as there are a number of preventative measures that we need to practice in order to travel safely, which means that your business trip essentials list will need to be updated.
Now that protective face masks and gloves have become a part of our everyday attire, we can expect to continue wearing them even after the pandemic, so make sure you bring enough disposable ones for your business trip. Hand sanitizers, disinfectants, antibacterial wipes, and thermometers are travel essentials that will appear on many post-pandemic travel packing lists.
Wrapping up
It’s true that business travel as we know it will be dramatically different once we start traveling again. But before you start looking for a new job, take some time to monitor the situation and see how it develops. In doing so, you’ll stay up-to-date with travel industry changes so you can remain safe while traveling in the post-COVID-19 era.