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The impact of the pandemic on the tourism industry and tourists’ preferences, as well as the emerging trends in the industry, were the main topics discussed at the online event on Tourism that was successfully organised by the Business Administration and Economics Department of CITY College, University of York Europe Campus on Monday, 14 February 2022.
Titled ‘Tourism: an all-inclusive love or a customised gift? Tourists' preferences and hospitality services’, the event was opened by Ms. Aggeliki Papakonstantinou, Head of the Business Administration & Economics Department of CITY who warmly welcomed all speakers and guests. The Mayor of Thessaloniki, Mr. Konstantinos Zervas, also addressed a short welcome emphasising the importance of promoting the city of Thessaloniki as a popular tourist destination.
Distinguished keynote speakers shared their expertise
Experienced and well-recognised professionals from the tourism industry participated as speakers in the event, shared their expertise and valuable experience and contributed their own insights and perspectives on the topic. The event started with the keynote speeches by Mr. Georgios Drakopoulos, Founder & CEO, Tourism Generis, Mr. Dimitrios Manikis, President EMEA, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Mr. Dimitrios Koumparakis, General Secretary, Hellenic Federation of Hotels' General Managers, Mr. Grigorios Tasios, President, Hellenic Hotel Federation & Vice President of The Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE), Professor Dr. Andreas Papatheodorou, Director ETEM Lab, University of the Aegean, Executive Board Member, Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority and Mr. Kyros Asfis, Founder& CEO, ΝΕΑ ΜΕSA.
“We need Vitamin C: Collaboration, Cooperation, Coordination.”
In his presentation, Mr. Drakopoulos discussed new trends in the Tourism industry and the change in consumer behaviour, underlining the need for flexibility and adaptability to the ever-changing environment and conditions. “‘Normal’ is changing and everyday we have a new ‘normal’. The way we travel will never be the same,” he said. Referring to the challenges within the Tourism industry he mentioned the lack of qualified employees, while at the same time he spoke about the obstacles affecting tourism development in Greece, mainly the bureaucratic impediments and governance issues. At the end of his presentation, Mr. Drakopoulos stressed the need for the development of synergies and collaborations for a better future in tourism sector by saying that “We need Vitamin C: Collaboration, Cooperation, Coordination.”
In his turn, Mr. Manikis, talking about the impact of the pandemic, expressed his concerns in relation to the human side of the tourism and hospitality industry by saying that unfortunately there can be no human contact due to Covid-19 regulations.
"We are building resilience": this was the opening remark of Mr. Tasios’ talk who went on to discuss the difficulties and challenges of cooperation with the local government as well as the lack of employees in the hospitality sector. "The pandemic has unveiled the need for synergy and collaboration" he said, stressing the importance of developing Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs).
New trends in Tourism in the post-COVID era
Adaptability and flexibility, tourist preferences for expensive, a-la carte services as well as expensive, premium accommodation units that ensure privacy, last minute bookings and cancellations, preferences for outdoor facilities, declining demand for organised excursions, return to nature, adaptability to new technologies, increasing costs, a sense of security and adhering to health protocols, are some of the main trends of the post-COVID era within the tourism industry shaped so far, according to the conclusions of most of the speakers of the first panel of the event. Themed ‘Hotels and destinations: an all-inclusive love or a customised gift’, the first panel discussion featured seasoned professionals, namely Ms. Anneta Svoronou, Complex Hotel Manager, Hotel Grande Bretagne and King George, Athens, Mr. Antonios Stamnas, Sales Director, Grecotel SA, Mr. Nikos Geronikolas, CEO, Olympic Palace Resort Hotel, Rhodes, Mr. Dimitrios Perrakis, Area Operations Manager, Atlantica Hotels and Resorts and Ms. Christina Poutetsi, Journalist (Protagon), Communications Expert.
In her detailed presentation, Ms. Svoronou outlined the new trends according to travelers’ behaviour - with health and safety measures being top priority - and stressed that hotels should adapt to those trends and preferences. Mr. Koumbarakis, in turn, spoke about the impact of the pandemic on hotels in Crete.
Air transport’s role in tourism
Speakers of the second panel, namely, Ms Ioanna Papadopoulou, Director of Communications & Marketing Athens International Airport, Ms. Irini Sidiropoulou, Regional Sales Manager North Greece, Ionian Islands & Balkans Sales Manager, North Greece, Ionian Islands and Balkan countries, Aegean Airlines and Mr. Alexandros Michalopoulos, Key Accounts project Management at SKY express, discussed the topic ‘Air transport’s role in tourism’.
The absolute need for development of collaborations and synergies, in order for Greece to develop its tourism product, was also highlighted by panelists of the second session of the event. As Mr. Papatheodorou mentioned in his keynote address, there is interdependence and synergy in the airline-airport relationship, as well as in the airport-destination relationship.
Ms. Papadopoulou also referred to the strategic collaborations and synergies in the context of the development and management of a destination, particularly emphasising the contribution of airports and hotels to green destinations, in order to promote the ecological footprint of a destination. Regarding the need for collaborations, Ms. Sidiropoulou agreed with Ms. Papadopoulou by saying: "Cooperation is necessary not in the sense of dependence, but in the sense of a strategic goal."
In his turn, Mr. Michalopoulos, also discussed the need for tourist destinations to set specific goals: “It is very important for destinations to declare their intentions and plans", as he said, and explained this will help airlines plan around specific tourist destinations to help them and promote them.
Tourism Observatory: technology, big data analysis and trend identification in tourism
The event concluded with the third panel discussion on ‘Tourism Observatory: technology, big data analysis and trend identification in tourism’ in which the following speakers participated: Mr. Thomas Poulios, Founder, Hotel Availabilities, EDIP, University of Thessaly, Mr. Alexandros Karavitis, Co-Founder & CEO, Hosthub (formerly Syncbnb), Mr. Theodoros Katsimpras, Business Development Director, BookOnlineNow, Mr. Vassilis Riavolgou, Business Development Manager, Eastern Mediterranean & Balkans at OTA Insight, and Ms. Hannah Babineau, International Marketing & Partnerships Manager, Data Appeal.
In his keynote speech, Mr. Asfis presented the Tourism Observatory, the services, information, and data it offers to tourism and spoke about the importance of its contribution in practical issues within the tourism sector. Using the services and intelligence provided by the Tourism Observatory, hotels have access to valuable insights regarding tourists’ demand and bookings. This will enable professionals in the hospitality and tourism industry build targeted, relevant, and timely marketing strategies, as well as adapt their services according to tourists’ preferences. Each panelist went on to discuss their company's contribution to the Observatory. While discussing the role of the Tourism Observatory, Ms. Babineau pointed out that it is important to invest in intelligence. Information on various trends can be used to properly manage and leverage human resources.
It should be noted CITY College, University of York Europe Campus has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Tourism Observatory, which includes a range of actions including data analysis and management, as well as the promotion of the Observatory's activities.
The event was moderated by Dr Giovanni Oscar Serafini, Associate Professor, και Dr Lemonia Papadopoulou - Kelidou, Lecturer at the Business Administration and Economics Department of CITY College, University of York Europe Campus, who asked key questions and facilitated the discussion between the speakers.
It is worth mentioning that this was the second successful virtual event organised by CITY College on Tourism, a sector particularly important for the Greek economy, but also for the sector of education, since there is a critical need for well-educated professionals in Tourism, as pointed out by the majority of the event’s speakers.