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Tourism
Innovating the Gibraltar tourism product post-Covid
By Eran Shay, Managing Director, Benefit TBusiness Solutions Ltd
ourism plays an important role in boosting a nation’s economy. With 2020 being the worst year in global tourism history due to the pandemic, there is immense importance in
encouraging tourism to return to its pre- Covid levels. This is especially important in Gibraltar, where tourism is a major part of our economy.
While the successful vaccination rollout has put Gibraltar in the limelight as a Covid-safe destination and has given it a ‘competitive edge’ over other destinations, particularly during the second and third quarters of 2021, that ‘window of opportunity’ is rapidly closing as other countries catch- up with their vaccination rollouts and international borders reopen.
Stakeholders in the Gibraltar tourism sectors must therefore adapt and embrace some of the emerging post-Covid tourism trends in order to keep Gibraltar attractive for international visitors.
Independent travellers
One of the key growing trends in the new era of social-distancing is that group travel is being replaced by independent travellers- being a family unit, couples or individuals- preferring to travel on their own rather than being amassed on a tour-bus with strangers, which carries greater risk of infection. For Gibraltar this could mean seeing less cruise- liners’ visitors and organised tour groups, and more independent travellers which requires re-focusing on the way these visitors would need to be transported around Gibraltar, and be catered for (restaurants, shop opening hours etc.).
Another trend which has been evident in Gibraltar over the summer is longer stays.
Instead of the traditional day trippers, Gibraltar saw a big rise in the number of tourists staying for a week or even longer. The pandemic has forced us to slow down and many of us are not in a hurry to return to a fast-paced style of travel. The need to take Covid tests upon arrival at destination or upon return to the home country means additional expenditure and hassle, and so travellers prefer to take a longer holiday and stay in a single destination rather than hop from one country to another. For Gibraltar this means expanding the range of activities, tours and variety of things to do here in order to demonstrate to prospective tourists that the Rock offers enough attractions to justify coming over for a longer stay.
GibraltarPass
Technology is also shaping the tourism industry in the post-Covid era. Technology can connect people without any physical contact. Thus, implementing technological innovations in the tourism sector can deliver a more personalised experience along with a more sanitised service- from digital check-in at hotels to smart apps allowing independent travellers to better plan their visit, reserve places at restaurants, attractions and events. Digitalising the Gibraltar tourism experience can open many opportunities for local retailers and attraction operators as well
as enable stakeholders to gather big data on tourism trends to further enhance the Gibraltar tourism product.
One such innovation has been the launch of the GibraltarPass, combining all of Gibraltar’s top attractions and much more under one digital visitors’ pass. Joining the likes of London, New-York, Paris, Berlin, Singapore, and many other leading cities worldwide, Gibraltar too now boasts its own One Day visitors’ pass. The concept is very simple- visitors buy the GibraltarPass online on www.GibraltarPass.com and receive a digital pass (similar to an online boarding
pass) to their mobile phone that gives them access to the Rock’s most popular attractions. Visitors’ simply display the Pass on their mobile devices and get it scanned at each attraction to gain entrance at no further cost. The Pass also includes free transport on Citibus routes as well as a wide variety of freebies and exclusive discounts at activity providers, shops and restaurants across Gibraltar. The GibraltarPass encourages visitors to spend more time in Gibraltar, spend more money in local businesses and do activities which perhaps are less well-known to exist in Gibraltar such as eBike tours, Escape Room, scuba-diving, sailing, yacht chartering, gin-making and many more. The GibraltarPass is also aligned with another major global tourism trend- environmentally- friendly tourism. By including public transport as part of the Pass, visitors are encouraged to park their cars on the Spanish side and walk across into Gibraltar, knowing that their transport from the border to the city centre and to the cable-car is already taken care of.
It is important to remember that the experience and impression that visitors take with them from holidaying in Gibraltar can very much affect their future business interaction with the jurisdiction.
Economic development
A positive experience as a tourist may stimulate visitors’ interests to want to do business in the jurisdiction, buy a property here or even relocate to Gibraltar; all
of which provide prospects for further incoming investment and further economic development of the jurisdiction. A negative tourism experience reduces the prospects of seeing any future business from that disappointed tourist.
www.benefitgibraltar.com
28 Gibraltar International
www.gibraltarinternational.com