Omio, the multi-modal travel search and booking platform, has unveiled a campaign to encourage travel to Bergamo in Northern Italy.
The company has partnered with Visit Bergamo, saying it "adopted" the town and highlighting various itineraries for travelers visiting via nearby airports and train stations.
Omio is also making a financial commitment to the recovery by making a donation to its Mutual Aid Fund linked to the number of travelers booking trips to Bergamo via the site.
The town was considered the epicenter of the outbreak of COVID-19 in Italy in February.
Justin Wang, director of brand at Omio, says: "Too often we have taken the simple act of travel for granted and only now we all realise how important it is to discover new and interesting destinations - not just for our own personal welfare and enjoyment as travellers, but also for the economic survival of the destination.”
Travel companies and tourism organizations have devised various initiatives to bring back travelers in recent months with airlines such as Emirates offering COVID-19 cover and destination companies offering financial incentives to visit.
Visit Sicily has devised its "See Sicily" voucher program with concessions on hotel stays and attractions to stimulate tourism potentially until the end of 2021.
More recently, tours and activities specialist Thrillophilia and beer brand Corona have launched 'Rediscover Paradise' to help to boost local tourism in India through discounted stays and experiences that can be booked now for travel when it is safe.
The destination estimates that it has lost more than €1 billion in tourism-related revenue since the pandemic hit in early March.
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On first glance these initiatives appear to be a positive step in bringing in desperately needed tourism dollars to various regions and cities, although it’s way too early to say.
Some might also question whether these schemes are just a publicity stunt but anything that puts a destination in the spotlight surely has to be a good thing?
Doug Lansky, a destination management specialist and presenter of PhocusWire's Destination X series earlier this year, believes that the industry has to start somewhere.
He says it needs to move beyond the risk of catching coronavirus during a flight and breaking it down a more realistic assessment of risk.
“What’s the risk of breaking your hip and how would you break that down? In Sweden, which was initially accused of being a zombie apocalypse, only around 75 of the deaths were aged 50 or younger and of those very few had no underlying health conditions.
“Sweden is the fifth safest place for driving in the world and there have been around 75 deaths in car accidents. If you’re not afraid to get in a car, you should not be afraid to get on a plane. I think the industry should make that distinction with the caveat that we are protecting those that are more vulnerable.”
Lansky adds that the industry needs to get back to looking at the data rather than being instilled with fear.
He says that while discounts might incentivize some segments of travelers such as young people, others might be more likely to visit areas that they know are currently quieter.
Overall, he doesn’t see the initiatives as a bad thing.
“We need to get going in some respect. The other thing the industry can do is just make it easier to travel. People that have flown feel like it is quite a fearful experience so we need to figure out how to make it less like going through an apocalypse.”
He suggests branding experts might help in improving the experience in a similar way that hospitals have tried to move from being sterile, cold places to offering a more comfortable experience.