As we close off a challenging year for all of us in the travel industry, it is with hope and optimism that things will be better in 2022.
When you think about how we entered 2021, with lockdowns and restrictions, our industry has faced down each challenge and adapted how we work. In a year of restrictions, for us at ASM, we still managed to deliver supplier training programmes using Zoom – in fact, we recently counted 83 zoom sessions that we conducted over the past 12 months.
In the window that opened to reconnect face to face, we grabbed the opportunity to attend the Travel Centres and Worldchoice conferences. While it was great fun to see our agents face to face again, we also got lots of work done too.
We’ve risen above challenges before. Let’s not forget the Ash Cloud, 9/11 and global recessions of past years. Each time, our industry demonstrated agility and a capacity to adapt and change how we do business. In fact, each challenge saw leaps made in travel technology and processes that we use today to fulfil travel for the end-ser. We will see the same from this current challenge.
It is also worth remembering that most high-income earners have not lost their jobs, and that Irish households saved more than €31bn this year. As such, people are eager to spend their money on travel with leisure trips leading the rebound. For sure, it’s been a difficult year, but we are ending it knowing travel will bounce back and it will be better.
Related: Positive Signs of Recovery for the Travel Industry
For now, we both want to wish you and your families a Happy and Peaceful Christmas and we really do look forward to seeing you again in 2022
Alan and Jo-Ann
