Talking heads...with Rosie Sopp

The current climate is particularly challenging for the travel industry; there’s a huge amount of uncertainty around if/when travel will return to ‘normal’, and if travel is even really safe at the moment. From the viewpoint of a travel brand – whether that be an agent, a hotel or an airline – it’s imperative to foster trust and transparency with your consumer.

What is clear is that travel companies will need to adapt to survive. Whether that be airlines introducing temperature testing, hotels adopting contactless check-ins, or the rise in staycations that the UK has already seen, the near future will be a time where the most flexible brands are the ones that will thrive. There was a rise in the ‘experience’ holiday pre- COVID-19, and as lockdown measures ease, this is likely to increase in popularity even further.  Being grounded has made consumers appreciate travel all the more, and the ‘ordinary’ weekend break or cheaper vacation spot won’t quite cut it – brands will have to go that extra mile to secure custom.

Now more than ever the future of travel seems up in the air – with air bridges being created and then removed at a moment’s notice, airlines collapsing and constantly evolving lockdown and quarantine restrictions – but the desire to travel has not been dampened in the eyes of the public. It’s just how, and when, we travel which has had to be changed – we’ve had to get creative. With the rise of working from home, many people are even looking to work from a foreign country for month’s at a time – Barbados are even launching a yearlong working visa to encourage this.

If you have any pressing travel questions, we’d recommend taking a look at The Points Guy UK (www.thepointsguy.co.uk), it has been incredibly helpful as an information resource during this time – we’ve particularly enjoyed reading the ‘Future of Travel’ content.