The future of customer experience in travel, tourism and hospitality: European expert panel

A look at the impact of Covid-19 on the travel, tourism and hospitality industry in terms of how it has influenced customer expectations and the technology trends we can expect in 2021.

The global pandemic of 2020 triggered an unprecedented health, social and economic emergency. One of the most affected sectors during the crises was the travel, tourism and hospitality industry with virus containment protocols shutting down borders and bringing the industry close to a complete standstill.

As of October 2020, there were 900 million fewer international tourist arrivals compared to the same period in 2019, resulting in a US$935bn loss globally.

• Europe has seen a 68 per cent decrease in arrivals from January to October 2020.
• The UNWTO states that this decline in nearly 70 per cent of international tourism has set the industry back by 30 years.

Now, in early 2021, the Covid-19 threat remains at large, but there is hope – we are seeing the roll out of a Covid-19 vaccine and borders tentatively opening up. However, what permanent impact has the pandemic had on the industry and how people travel?

Join us for a conversation with our panel of experts as we discuss:

• The current status of the industry, including factors that are impacting a consumer’s decision to travel.
• The impact of CX and technology on travel, tourism and hospitality in the new normal.
• Guidelines to improve CX and help your business thrive in 2021.

Speakers

Edmund Ovington
VP of partnerships and alliances
Unbabel

Edmund Ovington drives value from Unbabel’s customer base through close relationships with key partners and investors such as Salesforce, Microsoft, Samsung, Google, Zendesk and Convergys. He has more than 15 years of experience in the high-growth tech space, specifically with B2B SaaS companies such as Yammer.

Vera Rabkina
Head of reviews
AppFollow

Vera Rabkina is the head of product at AppFollow. With a vast experience in mobile gaming, eCommerce and SaaS, she brings all her knowledge to enhance support team routine and provide high-quality ratings and reviews insights via building great services at AppFollow.

Ben Sims
Territory sales executive
Freshworks

Ben Sims joined Freshworks four years ago as a territory account executive, working with mid-market and enterprise customers in the UK and Ireland. He specializes in contact center transformation projects, typically moving customers from disjointed systems to a single customer support platform, improving the experience for both customers and software users. In his spare time, Sims enjoys every moment with his two-month-old girl and plays the guitar.

Chanice Henry
Editor-in-Chief
CX Network