Fewer gurus and magic formulas: the industry demands concreteness

Temporary closure of hotels and other types of accommodation, drop in demand, low occupancy, cancellation of thousands of flights, profound alterations in the panoramas of tour operations and intermediation, mobility restrictions, decrease in purchasing power... Fear.

The current economic crisis, derived from the pandemic caused by the outbreak of the Coronavirus, leaves no stone unturned, and continues to mercilessly hit global tourism and, especially, that of our country. The main players in the industry, immersed in uncertainty, remain waiting for a reaction, in the form of precise instructions, from an overwhelmed Spanish Government, which responds, to some extent, to the seriousness of a situation that It gets worse with each passing day.

As it now appears, the implementation of a Health Protocol will still take a minimum of three weeks to arrive, a lifetime, and it seems that issues such as capacity, the use of technology for control, traceability, controls will be addressed. temperature, social relations in common spaces, cleaning standards, transportation procedures, ways to open beaches, controls and security at airports, etc.

But in addition to how, the when is of great concern, a question that raises the imminent need to also set a calendar for the process of de-escalation of confinement, which allows hotels to make a realistic forecast of the investment they will have to make. undertake to be prepared for their reopening or, failing that, to make the tough decision to remain closed to the public, if their business model is revealed to be incompatible with the rigidity of the adaptation measures.

The hotel sector, desperate and invaded by skepticism in equal measure, is beginning to show serious signs of rejection of the formulation of hypotheses based on mere speculation, and demands, above all, concreteness and a sense of responsibility. So much so that, far from letting themselves be carried away by the apathy of others and crossing their arms in the face of the feeling of abandonment, there are many private institutions that, taking the initiative, have ventured to prepare and present proposals of a particular nature that, with the intention to amend the plan of our leaders, they aspire to accelerate the long-awaited and prevailing return to activity. Gestures that, without a doubt, are appreciated.

On the contrary, in this complex context of general confusion, the unexpected opportunistic emergence of experts with a visionary vocation in all imaginable areas and subjects who, considering an infinite number of possible future scenarios, accompany their brilliant theories of advice and solutions, are of little help. lacking, for the moment, foundation. If initially we all fell into the temptation of suggesting the steps that seemed logical to mitigate, for example, the impact of the avalanche of cancellations, now the most sensible thing to do seems to be to embrace the “I only know that I know nothing” and limit ourselves to measuring and inform, providing reliable, sustainable and realistic data.

What there does seem to be a unanimous consensus on is the fact that the aforementioned virus will leave behind a rarefied panorama full of changes and difficulties. Nothing will be, in the short term, even similar to what we knew. And when the time comes to resume activity, God willing it will be very soon, we will have to rely on a detailed analysis of the destination, supply, demand, occupancy, price, tour operation and distribution in general, to develop strategies and draw up action plans, always respectful of the current recommendations and impositions of the relevant ministries, foreseeably aimed at guaranteeing the safety of guests and workers, to combat the fear of traveling, and to recover our image as a destination of trust.

Until then, please, less gurus and magic formulas. The sector demands concreteness.