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In late 2019, I booked a holiday to visit the seaside city of Split in Croatia for August this year. With my accommodation booked, I was counting down the weeks until we could explore the city and its surrounding area and had even planned a day trip to visit the nearby Bosnian town of Mostar.
As a family of seasoned travellers, taking regular trips abroad to see relatives in France and Qatar -and even a six week summer sabbatical to Chicago with a toddler and baby in tow – it was strange and sad for us to be unable to travel abroad during the five months of lockdown.
Fiona Anderson, GEC PR Company Director: A lot has changed for the travel and tourism sector in 2020 – and we are (unbelievably) only halfway through the year.
Having visited Philadelphia several times, I’ve enjoyed this wonderful city in a variety of seasons and in my opinion one of the best times to visit the East Coast of the USA is autumn. The leaves on the trees turn wonderful shades of red and the city streets are cool enough to explore with an iced coffee in hand (what else in America!)
We seasoned PR professionals are used to change. In the twenty plus years that I’ve been working in this industry, I’ve gone from pitching features to journalists via fax (yes, it was that long ago!) to selling in content collaborations with influencers via Instagram DMs.
Are you ready for ‘Post Lockdown Recovery’? It’s clear the world has changed quite dramatically from only a few months ago and as such, this will lead to a shift in consumer behaviours whether it’s the way they travel, purchase a product or even socialise with family and friends.
Like the rest of the country, our team have had to adapt to a completely new way of living and working. At our last (video) meeting, we discussed how we were feeling, and shared the companies, people and brands that are making our lockdown lives more pleasurable while we stay at home.
Here at GEC PR, we have seen first-hand the effects Covid-19 has had on the global travel industry as well as specifically our clients and travel industry partners.
However, as much as international and domestic tourism has currently been affected there will be a time when the restrictions are lifted and travel will resume, and brands need to be prepared to handle an influx of bookings and enquiries from would-be travellers.
As an agency with extensive experience in handling crisis situations, we thought it would be useful to share some insights to help travel brands plan ahead and prepare to accommodate bookings, once travel resumes.
Whether for personal or economic reasons, there isn’t a UK company that hasn’t been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and my Travel PR agency is no exception.
I am acutely aware that the challenges of running a travel PR firm in no way compares to the challenges those in the front line are facing in tackling the coronavirus pandemic, such as the National Health Service or supermarkets. However, one day this pandemic will subside and travellers will wish to book holidays again. So I am very mindful of my responsibility to both my employees and clients to do my bit to prepare. For now, that means my fellow Travel PRs and I must keep calm and carry on.
Situated in the Indian Ocean just 1 ½ hours apart, the Maldives and Sri Lanka offer the perfect combination for a twin-centre holiday.
GEC PR Directors, Fiona and Sarah, were fortunate enough to experience this for themselves on a tour of the Aitken Spence Hotels properties across both destinations in February. From luxurious five-star resorts to holistic, wellness retreats and mountain-side properties to premium, all-inclusive hotels, the Aitken Spence Hotels group offers something for everyone across Sri Lanka and the Maldives, so here are some of the property highlights from the trip.
Maldives Achieves The Safe Travels Stamp Granted By World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)
September 22, 2020 / gecpr
From Exclusive Island Buyouts To Boat-Only Accessible Resorts: Indulge In A Bucket-List Holiday To The Maldives
September 15, 2020 / gecpr
Aitken Spence Hotels Shares A Few Autumn And Winter Delights To Look Forward To At The Group’s Maldives Resorts
September 11, 2020 / gecpr
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