COVID-19: The Impact on Tourism & Travel Industry - Free Paper Example

The Tourism and Travel Sector is one of the most affected industries by Covid-19 as countries continue to close international travel. In the last few weeks, the cancellation announcements from sports competitions to conferences and even trips, have been raising one after another (Hu and Lee, 2020). COVID-19 has turned the world upside down, and while governments make the necessary adjustments, companies everywhere navigate unknown waters. Travel businesses, in particular, are struggling to find ways to maintain their brand visibility, revenue, traffic (both physical and digital), and relevance at a time when their audiences are concerned with limiting their social interactions to reduce the spread of the virus (Sheresheva, 2020). The spread of the virus and how this affects the way people spend their days has a major impact on people's spending behavior.

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Hosting technology giant Airbnb, a major player in the tourism and travel industry, is cutting 25 percent of its workforce, 1,900 employees, at a time when tourism has been greatly impacted by the new coronavirus (Allyn, 2020). According to a memorandum to employees, the firm's CEO, Brian Chesky, expects the company's 2020 revenue to be less than half of what was earned from last year's bookings. Airbnb faces numerous uncertainties, such as when world travel will resume. With the increased uncertainty of when normal business operations will resume, companies’ objectives should not be centered on increasing sales but the type and quality of service that they offer. The Covid19 pandemic necessitates the development and implementation of defensive strategies designed to face the possible negative impacts that the threats from the environment can generate.

Leveraging digital innovation is one of the main ways tourism and travel industry can use to sustain business and enable growth. In this context, a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy is proposed as a defensive strategy (Mini-Mini Strategy) that will ensure travel companies maintain a strong online presence and protect the brand. While travel has decreased significantly, e-commerce increases considerably. Search Engine Optimization in all its aspects (local SEO and international SEO) is a long-term strategy that has shown great success in maintaining a businesses’ online presence (Iskandar and Komara, 2018).

Conclusion

Travel companies must maintain the basic search engine optimization practices and try to increase the organic reach of their websites by updating page titles, headings, and meta tags, and refreshing outdated content with new information and relevant backlinks. The companies must be flexible taking into account the exceptional nature of the situation, maintaining a strong digital presence, and offering solutions by readjusting cancellation policies. The right combination of SEO strategies, new engagement initiatives, and properly targeted advertising spending will help the business cultivate invaluable relationships with its customers that will last longer than the pandemic.

References

Allyn, B., (2020). Airbnb Cuts 1,900 Jobs, 25% Of Its Workforce, As Pandemic Freezes Travel. https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/05/05/850986054/airbnb-cuts-1-900-jobs-25-of-its-workforce-as-pandemic-freezes-travelHu, M. R., & Lee, A. D. (2020). Airbnb, COVID-19 Risk and Lockdowns: Global Evidence. COVID-19 Risk and Lockdowns: Global Evidence (April 30, 2020).

Iskandar, M. S., & Komara, D. (2018, August). Application Marketing Strategy Search Engine Optimization (SEO). In IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering (Vol. 407, No. 1). doi:10.1088/1757-899X/407/1/012011