Charis Brousalian, Sales & Marketing Manager of GTP, talks about tourism’s future in 2021-2022, education and effective communication practices.
Η.Α: Much has been written and said about the “open wounds” of both tourism and other productive sectors of Greece that have caused problems. In practice, however, what can be applied?
C.B: In the last 2 years there have been many meetings, forums, webinars and seminars. The truth is we have now gone from theory to practice on many levels.
But, the problem of tourism in Greece is that there is a huge percentage of family businesses, that either cannot, do not want or do not know to apply the new data, to evolve and of course to offer a differentiation of their product.
Also, the lack of adequate training in the entry level of tourism professions but also of course the difficulty on the part of the employer to invest in specialized people certainly does not help in industry’s consolidation and upgrade.
So, I would say that although the data before the outbreak of Covid-19 was that changes would be made very slowly, we now witness a serious acceleration in the pace of things, innovations, implemented technologies.
Synergies and collaborations to a large extent have now become the first thought of many entrepreneurs, who until 2020 did not even discuss it!
Certainly, there are many suggestions and “solutions” that have been proposed but their implementation is very difficult in Greece, not because it is difficult per se but because it has to do with the mentality itself.
This mentality, which has its roots many decades ago, does not allow the right and innovative things to be implemented and to work.
So, I would go step by step at start to implement a strategy and through it, I would close an open wound at a time.
Only by doing so and only forward, so that we can be as a country, as an industry, as businesses present the next day as well!
H.A: What are the predictions of our country’s tourism development for the years 2021-2022?
C.B: Predictions can generally no longer be made.
2020 showed us that to a great extent the tourism market had serious issues in strategy, innovation, technological penetration, extroversion, knowledge and willingness to go further.
However, within a few months we observe a situation’s reversal by many companies in the field and this gives us hope.
Regarding the traffic for 2021, it will stay low again this year for many reasons. A 35-40% increase in traffic is possible but that’s it.
I stress out that we should now consider 2020 as a base year since the years before had nothing to do with what we are living now.
The whole doubt that exists abroad and in Greece’s main markets does not leave much room for large numbers this year as well.
Again, Europe will give the numbers with the addition of travellers from Israel and the hope that travellers from North America will help from August onwards with a simultaneous partial extension of the tourist season(mainly for the southern regions) for October and November.
Moderate optimism for 2021 and greater optimism for 2022.
If this year things finally bring an increase of 40% then in 2022 there will be an additional increase of another 50% compared to 2021.
Much will depend on the results of vaccinations, but also the actions that Europe will take for common standards in travel and of course any national measures that will stimulate work.
Finally, a “pleasant surprise” so far is that the airlines endured a year of “Armageddon” , yes with many losses and reclassifications, but they still fly without losing planes and slots.
2021 will be another bad year for aviation but with hope for better years from 2022 and onwards.
So, 2021 will be slightly better in terms of arrivals and maybe earnings but surely the whole industry will move in shallow waters.
Let us not fool ourselves this year’s competition between tourism businesses will be much greater than it was in 2020.
Many will open this year because they had seen that some worked relatively well last year and wanted to get the percentage that corresponds to them but this in many areas will do more harm than good.
Charis Brousalian: Greek Travel Pages
I hold a modest optimism and I hope that there will be a simple increase but this increase will be of quality and continuous for the years to come.
H.A: There is more talk than ever before about soft skills in tourism education for young people. A combination of communication and social skills. What is your opinion?
C.B: I totally agree with the question.
The data have now changed to a great extent in education but mainly what the market demands and of course how the visitor sees it.
The tourism professional has always been very flexible in his work but somewhat cut off from developments, technology and communication with customers.
Now, a young person should e.g know how to pour drinks, to serve but also be quality active on social media and contribute to the company’s extroversion that works for.
The client has evolved and changed to such an extent that wants other things than wanted 10 years ago.
Possibility and interest for continuous learning but also flexibility on the subject along with proper extroversion and communication are the main issues now.
I remember in an earlier position I had in an international hotel chain 15-20 years ago that there was the phrase: “We hire attitude, not knowledge” .
It practically means that the degrees are good but the will , appetite and interest are what finally play the leading role for someone to evolve.
Charis Brousalian, Greek Travel Pages
The issue of education in Greece has always been a big issue.
Even now, in many public schools syllabus is at least a decade old and with almost no contact with what is happening now but also what the market and the client/employer are asking for.
The working environment is far behind in our country and to a very large extent will have negative effects on businesses restart.
We also talk about soft skills for an employee, but there is also a lack of space where he will be able to apply what he has learned and to have room to maneuver in order to perform properly and with quality.
Especially in tourism there must be a right balance between knowledge(since everything changes) but also character hungry to show and apply together with an environment in companies which will promote evaluation, right and quality earnings.
I conclude by saying that as a country and as an industry we have very strong professionals ,who have achieved so much and who could be in top countries of the world.
After all, this is perceived from the moment we go abroad to work and we usually get very good positions and strong results.
H.A: What are the key points that every business should aim for in pursuit of better productive results?
C.B: A very good question too.
The data in the tourism market have changed to a great extent and we are living a new «industrial» revolution.
The are many points but ,I am not sure that as the situation has evolved, everyone can follow.
But if we had to mention a few key-points, then I would definitely say that businesses should take a few steps back and invest in building a plan and strategy.
To control the product they offer and look to differentiate it and of course to invest in new data(technology, innovation, suitable personnel, extroversion, publicity).
Furthermore, since the environment is changing rapidly , collaborations and synergies are oneway.
There is a great need for specialization and unfortunately as things have evolved, it is no longer possible for each owner to «know» everything and «do» everything.
From the evolution of online reservations, to the development of websites and what a website should have, to what will fit in each room, what services will offer etc.
It is also very important to include a plan for Revenue Management, the right price for the services offered that make a business viable and have a future.
The productive model of a tourism business has changed a lot in the last 10 years.
Along with it the market requirements as well as each business’s needs, a large volume of businesses will unfortunately not be able to follow , resulting in losses.
I will also keep saying that our mentality as a country is also what holds us back and will always hold us back if we do not change it.
Charis Brousalian: Greek Travel Pages
These times we live in now are ideal since in a sense there was a «restart» in many industries and in many countries, so it is up to us to see what we will change and change it immediately!
H.A: Hotel businesses and their executives experienced a «fierce war» with OTA’s(Booking, Expedia) over mass customer cancellations due to COVID-19. Do you think that it is time for a change of scenery? Maybe a new initiative in online bookings with Greek colors?
C.B: That is always the big question that torments not only Greece but many countries around the world.
I will state my opinion according to my experience either by working in an OTA in the past or from my position in hotels or even from my current position.
Regrettably, we have lost the «train» for such an action- solution, not only us but almost all the countries of the world.
OTA’s now a day are larger and stronger than never before, not only the big two we know, and the idea that can be excluded from the reservation channels is not possible. They are well established in travelers mind and of course they have strong and important presence to almost all businesses around the globe.
I have also seen various funny things in recent years with some “cursing” the OTA’s and threatening to leave etc.
There are neither serious things nor have any effect on changing the tactics of these OTA’s.
We need to underline that in order for a new OTA to have a change to be established, it needs to find a unique market gap/opportunity. Such an opportunity was the intro of AirBnB with short-term rentals.
Nevertheless, we need to know that even AirBnB with huge funding, business plan, amazing expansion and revenue, it took them more than 10 years to start having some profit and with the outbreak of Covid-19 they endangered their existence the first 6 months of 2020!
Moreover, we need to mention two other significant tries from Amazon & Google, that they had funds, strategy, technology, innovation but even these two huge companies did not succeed to get good results and stopped the projects.
So by examine the above facts I would say for sure and with great certainty that in Greece is highly not possible to have a successful large Greek OTA
Charis Brousalian: Greek Travel Pages
What I see is an attempt to change the mix of hotel bookings.
They start investing more and more in direct reservations, in planning for «risk spread”, in enriching booking channels.
Younger generations have seen these possibilities and are “looking” for ways to win back their customer.
This is certainly not an easy task but I see of course a serious change now.
Oneway for businesses to invest is to win the traveller back through their own channels.
It is not easy nor it is done overnight but it’s possible with long-term planning, collaborations and synergies, as well as continuous investment in innovation and new technologies.
H.A: As the Sales & Marketing Manager of GTP Media Group and an integral part of every tourism professional since 1975, do you believe that tourism businesses, especially during the difficult period we are going through, have shown a spirit of extroversion?
C.B: The truth is, I was really expecting a lot more that I didn’t see.
Especially, during the first quarantine, when the situation was such that almost everyone had the time to take extroversion actions.
To create content, to learn if they did not know it, to form new partnerships and synergies and generally to prepare in order to come out strong after the end of quarantine, a huge part of the Greek tourism industry just «froze».
Charis Brousalian: Greek Travel Pages
Did absolutely anything and missed a golden opportunity to fill the gap with OTA’s and Tour Operators.
Extroversion was consumed again in the classic big hotels and groups(where I did not expect anything different) and a tremendous opportunity was lost for many companies to come forward.
I will tell you something very simple.
The first quarantine period in 2020 where reservations and tourism stopped and all OTA’s & Tour Operators ceased their online ads (in both search engines and social media).
That has as an effect that travel companies and some hotel web pages with strong content and up to date features, emerged at the first pages in organic search results.
The same companies before the outbreak had difficulties to appear constantly at the first pages but with the outbreak saw the potential of correct SEO strategy and quality content with reference to third media and back links strategy.
Also and this is more important, when the market started moving during summer 2020 and the restart of ads from OTA’s and Tour Operators they kept in large extend their position at the top results and did got a good percentage of direct traffic and eventually reservation.
Then we saw some strong hotels receiving a very good position in the organic results in top destinations that a few months ago were on the 2nd and 3rd page.
The content either on their website or through a 3rd party reference with the relevant links performed fantastically and there you said that with the resurgence of demand again OTA’s would eventually eliminate them, this did not happen.
Online media with the right content, quality audience, constant renewal can really help the extroversion that is now in demand.
Extroversion starts from the business and its websites and evolves through a plan in other parts of the market.
Charis Brousalian: Greek Travel Pages
It is neither a waste of time nor a waste of money.
People read online, look to find information, seek for news, longing to find the new and the different and of course nowadays the safe.
I hope that 2020 gave lessons and that many more will start thinking of doing this.
A second missed opportunity for many will probably be the last chance.
To put a closure, the opportunity, the time for action is now. Quit putting the blame on others.
Now is the time to do things and actions and one of them is extroversion!
Charis Brousalian: Greek Travel Pages
As a country and as an industry we have great potential but it’s needed for us to leave the weights behind and embrace a vision, which we will pursue and follow in order to succeed but also to really win through all this.
Nothing is easy nor will be spared but we need to fight constantly and work on it.
The country is unique but we must develop it, keep it right and go strong for the present and the future.
H.A: Do you agree with the opinion that businesses regardless of industry, should invest more in strengthening their communication policy?
C.B: Yes I totally agree with the reasoning of the question.
I will just say that normally a business regardless of its industry should have the communication policy very high in its priorities since the beginning of its creation.
If we talk about the hotel industry then in a business plan and along with good rooms, great drinks and swimming pools, its communication and extroversion should be in the first 2-3 places.
Unfortunately, in Greece many people just thought that since I am a shop «corner» I do not need to have any communication policy and in fact let the customer look for me.
Charis Brousalian: Greek Travel Pages
We also have to realize that with the continuous quarantines people have turned to reading a lot through Online Media and Social Media.
This brings us to the fact that whoever is not where his customer is, then will simply cease to exist.
To put a closure, I have to say that communication is very important and every year gains an even higher position for the traveller(which is also important).
Also, for businesses that are beginning to realize that communication is not taking a selfie or my window’s view that will fill my restaurant, my hotel, my villa.
It takes work and patience but when it is done properly, the result rewards the business and of course has long lasting results as opposed to a temporary ad.
To emphasize, everything is needed.
Online advertisement, extroversion, right people and staff and of course vision and will to combine them and achieve all this.
We live in an age of speed and extroversion begins with the extensive use of Social Media and other sources.
A business, in order to be close to its public, its customer, its buyer, must be strong out there.
Charis Brousalian: Greek Travel Pages
Not to be afraid and ask for help, there are excellent professionals out there and many valuable tools providing them with the desired result.
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