The global hospitality industry, made up of hotels, events, travel, and tourism, etc., is a trillion-dollar industry. Unfortunately, the recent pandemic took its toll on the industry, especially with the strict measures taken to curb it. International borders were closed, hotel occupancy dropped, cruise ships were docked, and all manner of tourism was put on hold in a bid to stem the spread of the virus.
Thankfully, in 2021 things are easing up, and as the world begins to open up again, we see tourists and travellers returning with a determination to make up for the lost time. After being cooked up at home for so long, many individuals are looking forward to reconnecting and exploring new destinations. A survey by McKinsey & Co reveals travelling to be the second most desired activity among participants. That being said, the hospitality industry should be getting ready for a serious boom and translation would be playing a critical role in which players come out successful.
THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY — an overview
The hospitality industry encompasses several sectors like hotels, tourism, travelling (both leisure and business), events, restaurants, and the likes.
Albeit an overall lucrative industry, the effects of the pandemic on the different sectors of industry were pretty significant, and the hospitality industry is just now beginning to bounce back.
Even though the pandemic significantly restricted leisure and business travel and even led to some resorts closing, it seems the worst is over, with successful clinical trials and vaccine roll-outs, the hospitality industry is gradually picking itself up.
The global hospitality market is presently valued at $3486.77 billion and is expected to grow to $4132.5 billion in 2021 at a CAGR of 18.5%. Research says this growth will result from businesses rearranging their services as they recover from the impact of the pandemic.
Although business travel is predicted to reduce by 85% comparing 2019 to April 2020, 56% of consumers say they expect to travel for leisure despite the threat of COVID-19. Of course, the availability of vaccines has also played a major role in boosting their confidence.
THE ROLE OF TRANSLATION IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
With the hospitality industry being global, it is not uncommon for businesses to have consumers from diverse backgrounds. Companies within the hospitality industry must employ high-standard translation services to cater to these diverse travelers’ demands by fulfilling several vital tasks and roles.
Hospitality and travel service providers need to go extra lengths in delivering clear and concise information on travel guidelines and protocols which often differ by region. Hence effectively communicating through adequate translation and localization services with customers is of prime importance.
A survey by common sense advisory revealed that 75% of consumers prefer to buy products and services in their local language while 60% seldom buy from English-only websites. The ability to communicate with customers in their language often makes for an all-around better customer experience. Localizing your website, translating your in-house documents, and having multilingual staff will surely leave a lasting impression on your foreign customers.
Website localization
Website localization involves making a website available in different languages and adapting it to other cultures. Making a website available in various languages helps travel service providers increase their reach. TripAdvisor reports that 80% of travellers intend to spend quality time planning and choosing their next vacation. As you’d expect, they will be browsing the net for hotels, tourist centres, recreational activities, and other vital information.
With the pandemic in view, travelers may also be in search of travel protocols for health safety and compliance. For many of them, the only factor they have to make their choice is your website. This is why it’s not only important that the website be available in different languages, it’s even more vital that it is translated in a manner that’s in line with the company’s philosophy and coherent with the ethos of the entire brand.
In House Documents
Another critical role translation plays in breaching the communication gap is making in-house documents available to customers in their language. In-house documents such as the menu, itinerary, safety instructions, maps, etc., should be made available to customers in different languages if business owners must cater to customers from all over the globe. In translating, the translators must understand the cultural differences and other nuances to ensure the message is passed across correctly without any errors or sounding offensive.
THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY POST-COVID-19
As the lockdown eases and more international boundaries are open, here are some future projections on how the hospitality industry will evolve.
Luxury will be redefined.
If there is one thing the outbreak taught us, it’s to be more hygienically inclined. A recent study by the European Travel Commission revealed that “2/3 of Europeans feel safer and more relaxed on their trip when strict health and safety protocols are in place”. Luxury is now redefined as safety and hygiene. Hotels must understand how guests’ expectations have changed post covid and so must take deliberate steps to ensure customers feel safe again — as safe as they would feel in their own homes. In line with this, customers will be looking out for contact-free interaction, open spaces, and strict social distancing policies.
Contactless hospitality will become more rampant.
The demand for contactless hospitality has increased significantly and is not expected to come down anytime soon. Hoteliers must devise means to deliver a high-value hospitality experience without risking the health of their staff or customers. The introduction of updates like mobile check-ins and keyless entries through digital interfaces will help reduce the number of physical assets that change hands.
Domestic vacations will continue to thrive.
It is easy to assume that the boost in international travel would come at the expense of domestic tourism, but this is not the case. A recent report by TripAdvisor showed that nearly 70% of clickers in the first week of January were booking domestic trips. Furthermore, May through August proved very popular for domestic vacations. The report further revealed that 64% of people planning on travelling in 2021 planned to take at least two domestic trips, while 60% planned on taking local trips. With these statistics, it’s pretty clear that domestic vacation will continue to thrive even after international borders are opened.
CONCLUSION
Although the hospitality industry was dealt a heavy blow by the unexpected change of events brought on by the pandemic, it is slowly but surely picking itself back up, and the future looks very promising. As hotels and tourist centres prepare to swing back to business full time, adjusting to the COVID-19 regulations that seem to be the new normal, these stakeholders must continue to put customer satisfaction at the forefront.
Catering to traveler’s diversity and providing relevant travel information in the clearest possible form either through translation, localization, interpretation or transcreation has never been this crucial for hospitality and travel service providers, and employing certified translation services is one of the best ways to do this.
Are you ready to reach more travellers from around the world? TranslationsinLondon offers an array of consumer-focused services that takes places your brand at the forefront of your desired international audience