June 9, 2020 - The opening of borders has only just begun and it is very difficult currently, at the outset, to predict how things will pan out. We will focus on individual tourist demand and only in a later phase will we be able to think about organized tourist traffic this year, believes Dr. Ivo Zupanovic, a professor at the Budva Faculty of Business and Tourism in the field of crisis and risk management.
He pointed out that prices will be adjusted for certain market segments, especially those with larger accommodation capacity.
"I can see that those working in the tourism sector are doing their utmost to prepare. At the state level, there are detailed protocols for hotels and similar accommodation facilities." Zupanović stated.
When the epidemiological situation "settles down" in the countries of the region, which are our traditional markets, the number of tourists will increase, he believes.
“At the moment, the most important thing is digital marketing. We began with some national campaigns, which, among other things, are aimed at the local, domestic guest, who, in my opinion, will be all the more important as time goes on, and not only for this year, " believes Zupanović.
Boka Kotorska - photo Boka News
He mentions that local tourist organizations, in line with the inbound markets’ structure, have started some promotional work.
"One innovation I would like to highlight is an idea from the Tourist Organization of Herceg Novi, which offered award-winning accommodation in June, and this can be the trigger for further interest from tourist consumers. Company MMGY’s research shows that tourists make a decision 45 to 90 days after the peak of the pandemic in that country, which means that in this period we should advocate promotion through digital marketing as much as possible," explains Zupanovic.
He believes that travel agencies, as entities dealing with organized tourist traffic, will face serious problems.
"In such controlled conditions, we cannot count on classic methods of organizing tourist traffic, or on their classic services, such as the sale of airline tickets. This will reflect on their liquidity and especially on the profitability of the business. The question is whether smaller agencies, which do not have working capital for a longer period, will survive,” believes Zupanovic.
Speaking to Pobjeda, he stated that the Law on Amendments to the Legislation on Tourism and Catering will play a very important role, whereby trips arranged after 1st March can be used until the end of the coming year, as an incentive for both the service provider and the consumer.
Source: Boka News
