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
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