Charting Our Future: Leading with Resilience
Charting Our Future: Leading with Resilience
This is a great time to be alive and in this industry! 2022 has kicked off with a 130% increase in tourism over 2021, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). This information gives so many of us in the tourism and hospitality industry a glimmer of hope as we seem to be heading towards returning to pre-pandemic numbers. But let’s face it–we are a long way away from things feeling normal. And it's more than likely nothing will ever go back to the way it was.
Much innovation in technology and operations has been made over the past couple of years. We know that the industry has changed, and people have changed as well. But it's with a mindset of resilience that we can truly chart the future that we want in this space.
Charting Our Future: Leading with Resilience, is the theme of this year’s WITH conference. As the Women In Tourism and Hospitality Advisory Board and I discussed the state of the industry and the best way to support our community, we had some tough discussions about what the future holds. The reality is that no one knows exactly what the future holds, but we do know that we can make our future brighter and prosperous together.
Changing the landscape and expanding the community
The world has changed forever. The industry has changed. People have changed, and the way they approach life for the most part has changed. The downtime that was experienced by so many people was an excellent time to upgrade tools, technologies and systems. And (a reality that’s close to my heart) it was and continues to be a time where we can focus on the diverse backgrounds and upbringings of the people in our businesses. Diversity and inclusion is much more than a box to be checked. It’s a rich resource to be mined and harnessed, a way to make sure that you’re hearing the voice of all your customers, and an opportunity to make sure the staff and leadership reflects the diversity in your customer base, allowing for higher quality customer-focused decision making.
Mapping the peaks and valleys
Charting is the way early explorers mapped out the lay of the land and water, navigating the peaks and valleys they would be encountering. Understanding all of the data points that could impact your success is key to reaching grand destinations. As we come together this year, we have put together a diverse and influential group of speakers and leaders to share the data points of trends, opportunities, and threats in our industry. The peaks and valleys, if you will, of where we are headed, as well as what obstacles for which we still need to strategize.
The real bounceback is soon to come
Resilience is the ability to bounce back quickly. The stats show that the tourism and hospitality industry has started to bounce back. But the real work is still to come. Now that the world has been introduced to so many alternatives, this is the time to innovate to meet and even exceed the needs and expectations of the post-pandemic traveler. This is the time to create personal connections and share ideas. This is an exciting time… a time when you can create the reality that you want.
WITH is poised for a time such as this.. Let’s lean in, chart our course for the future, and lead with a spirit of resilience … together.