Between the human survival instinct of fight or flight, some travel companies have chosen to fight back in innovative ways.
There was this joke I saw on Facebook a while ago about what pushed a company towards digital transformation. The options were: COE, CTO and Covid-19. Guess which ‘C’ was the catalyst?
Without downplaying the evil of the pandemic, we should also acknowledge how it has forced us into new ways of thinking that we may not have otherwise considered in good times.
In a short few months since the onset of Covid-19, people have acceleratated their technology adoption.
Those who had never worked from home are now remotely performing their tasks as they would in the office.
Those who had shied away from virtual calls are now familiar with Zoom, WebEx, Skype and other platforms used for official communication, and are even participating in virtual game nights with family and friends. Companies that had never seriously considered online meetings are going down that route swiftly and learning ways to make their next session better.
Those who had never participated in online shopping have now discovered a glorious new world of consumerism at their fingertips (save me!).
For Vox Group’s John Boulding, Covid-19 and the growing need for safe distancing have enhanced the appeal of self-guiding products. He has seen an about-turn in marketplace acceptance and his team has smartly sped up innovation to bring two new products to market. You can read about this on TTGAsia.com.
Covid-19 does not only have a hand in digital transformation. Between the human survival instinct of fight or flight, some travel companies have chosen to fight back in innovative ways, pivoting away from travel while retaining the flexibility to bring back its tourism arm or enhance its original forte as soon as the world is ready to wander again.
Trazy – Travel Crazy Korea, MAD Travel Philippines, and Joy Paradise Solution Japan have been exemplary in this regard.
Once tour operators, these companies are now raking in vital income through proxy shopping services offered in popular destinations people cannot visit at the moment, grocery and food delivery services that support local farmers and SMEs, and virtual educational tours that facilitate safe interactions with local communities and social entrepreneurs. Again, you can read about these on our website.
Such pivots require an open mind and courage – something we all need in times of crisis when normal ways of doing things can no longer work.
Here’s another thing we all need now – kindness. Remote working now is nothing like remote working pre-pandemic. Schools and child-minding services may be closed, jobs and income may be at stake, and people are stuck at home all day. Working from home really is taking care of the family first and foremost while trying to work. So if your colleagues or business partners have fallen short of usual standards, patience and kindness can save the day and everyone’s sanity.
