Sounding Off: Travel is an emotional experience - now more than ever

Each Friday, PhocusWire dissects and debates an industry trend or new development covered by PhocusWire that week.

There is an assumption - perhaps even a wild one - that travel is going to bounce back to a significant degree over the course of the remaining months of 2021.

There is obviously good reason for this: people are being vaccinated, travel brands are preparing to restart operations and the "pent-up demand" that is so often spoken about is undoubtedly there for many travelers.

Targeting that huge desire to get away (for many it'll be their first time in 18 months) is now the order of the day, it seems, with suppliers and intermediaries using a wide array of tactics to seize on the emotions that are both genuine and heartfelt.

But a few words of caution.

Escapism - and appealing to that simple need to just get away from everything - is just one part of the situation, with other human emotional factors to consider.

Many longing for any kind of trip will also want reassurance that their experience is going to be "COVID-safe" throughout, from the airport and flight to accommodation and activities.

The marketing required will need to be subtle, illustrating that the trips is going to be the best ever but also adhering to every hygiene protocol.

And then there are those that have yet to join the pent-up demand gang, sitting at home and nervously watching infection rates going up and down in different countries, monitoring the science around new variants and noting that for many countries (especially India and other parts of Asia) there is a long way to go.

Travel brands might not get any much-needed money from them but they must be acutely aware that there is a huge slice of the traveling public that remains deeply unsettled about the pandemic and has no wish at all to be on the road again.

If they see a company blindly ignoring those elements and genuine concerns that people have, as they place their brand at the center of an escapism-type message, then that negative perception might stick around for a long time.

Travel brands will do well to consider the different types of emotions that people currently have, even if there is zero chance of them getting a booking from them this year.