Abstract
What kind of new sales and marketing methods tourism businesses follow post-pandemic constitutes the research problem. Within this scope, this study aims to discover what kind of changes hotel businesses and travel agencies have experienced in sales and marketing post-COVID-19 and how these businesses direct their marketing strategies. At first, relevant studies in the literature were reviewed, and document analysis was conducted. Primary data were obtained through semi-structured interview forms as well as a short questionnaire form. The sample size consists of 17 hotels and nine A group travel agency managers. The data were collected by e-mail. Discourse analysis was conducted on qualitative data. In conclusion, it was determined that the COVID-19 pandemic had a compelling effect in tourism businesses revising their marketing strategies and increasing their product diversity. To persuade consumers and win them back, it was observed that tourism businesses had made an effort to guarantee safe holidays and travel against the pandemic.
TopIntroduction
The tourism and travel industry has been one of the industries most negatively impacted by COVID-19. Due to security flaws in the COVID-19 Pandemic process, travel restrictions and curfews are imposed many times worldwide at national and international levels (AlJazeera, 2020; Zhang et al. 2020). According to Beirman (2003: 6) health and safety perception are two important factors in visiting a destination. Terror incidents, crime rates, natural disasters, epidemics harm the destination’s image and travel motivation. In addition to terrorist incidents (Samitas et al. 2018), natural disasters such as floods, great fires, tsunamis (Ghaderi and Henderson, 2013), and earthquakes (Huan et al. 2004) pose health and safety threats. Such events create serious travel barriers to the destination by creating anxiety and concern for the consumer. In this study, changes in tourism marketing post-COVID-19 pandemic are investigated. Accommodation businesses, travel agencies, and food and beverage businesses form the basis of the tourism and travel industry. These three service businesses are among the most affected by COVID-19.
The introduction of travel restrictions for various reasons negatively affects national and international tourist movements. Travel plans had to be postponed or canceled. Moreover, those who made a holiday program started to experience grievances. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in many countries of the world, serious financial losses have been experienced in the travel and tourism industry, and the industry has almost come to a standstill due to the lockdowns and strict travel restrictions applied to prevent the spread of the virus (Arezki and Nguyen, 2020; Stezhko et al. 2020; Yang et al. 2020). All the same, in parallel with the measures taken and regulations brought worldwide, tourism businesses also try to fulfill their duties and responsibilities. The pandemic also necessitates some changes in sales and marketing methods and strategies of tourism businesses. The hotel businesses, which the COVID-19 pandemic has seriously challenged, are restructuring their product, marketing strategy, distribution channels, delivery methods, and consumption points (AIEST, 2020). It is stated that they have become more competitive due to the business model of branded hotel chains and the advantages of disaster management mechanisms during the pandemic process (Hao et al. 2020). For example, large-scale chain brands are accelerating the transition to digital transformation to remain competitive in the post-epidemic world. Because hotels can improve their performance by using digital and smart tools. COVID-19 causes permanent changes in customer preferences and consumption behaviors (Valle, 2020). Hotel businesses and travel agencies, on the other hand, take some precautions and make regulations in the face of these changes. While on the one hand, hotels are making these preparations, on the other hand, they try to re-establish trust by announcing their marketing efforts to their consumers. For example, by stating that they offer contactless services, hotels want to create the image that they use technological facilities well. Hotel businesses seize the opportunity to increase their market share and actively collaborate with large businesses to ensure transformation and improvement (Hao et al. 2020).
The situation is even worse for travel agencies. It is stated that agencies have an extremely difficult time trying to overcome this troublesome process (İbiş, 2020: 95). It is stated that a similar situation is also a matter of the Central European countries. For example, it is understood that many travel agencies are in a difficult situation in Slovakia and Czech travel agencies lost 80% of their jobs in 2020 compared to the previous year. It is stated that layoffs have started and one of the long-established travel agencies has already collapsed in Hungary, and Poland's situation is not very good (Grancay, 2020: 93).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Product Design: Tourism products for special target groups, which are more nature-friendly, environmentally friendly, specific to the countryside, provide physical and emotional well-being, and focus on cultural values.
Virtual Reality: It is a publicity application that offers the potential to create a sensory experience about a tourism destination and can be used in the sense of sales to complement or replace traditional printed publicity tools.
Safe Holiday Guaranteed: It is for holiday planners to provide sincere and personalized answers to customer inquiries, either live to manage customers’ reputation and address their concerns or on digital platforms, or by providing quick solutions to customer complaints, making them believe they can be touched and supported. Within the scope of the safe holiday guarantee, if a holidaymaker cannot go on holiday, the entire amount paid is unquestioned.
Digital Marketing: In an environment where screen addiction is increasing, to withdrawn multimedia, social, and network content, to increase operational efficiency and to reduce marketing costs thanks to smart technologies and automation systems, it is a type of marketing that is used mainly for Y and Z generation potential consumers and employees.
E-Mail Interview: It is a qualitative data collection technique that provides access to many people in situations where there is no need for a face-to-face meeting with persons who are previously recognized or unrecognized and/or have a geographic distance that is unreachable, who do not have time to meet face to face, easier and cheaper than other data collection tools.
Contactless Services: To convince the customer in the sales and marketing process, these are beneficial actions offered to the customer with standardized contactless cards and readers using digital and intelligence tools (automation systems) to create the image of a healthy, comfortable, comfortable, and safe holiday guarantee.
Call Trackings: It is a software program that allows analyzing the incoming call tariff by assigning a different call number for below and above the line advertising vehicles, through which advertising channels customers use, interviews are recorded, and online visitors can be analyzed.