Too Much Information? Unlikely...
Imagine for a moment that airlines swapped their safety briefings just before take off and stated instead that they were following all the latest guidelines; so please don’t worry. Would you feel comfortable?
Now this is obviously a ridiculous scenario; but I would like to use it to illustrate a more salient point.
An airline safety briefing is something that everyone expects; and even if you can recite the position of every exit and could tie the life vest in a double bow with your eyes closed; you’ll still be glad that a member of the crew took the time to say it.
It seems probable that a ‘kite mark’ type scheme for attractions, and potentially the accommodation sector will be launched in the near future to provide reassurance to the public that your venue is adhering to all the latest Covid-19 government protocols post opening; and this is unquestionably sensible; following on from similar schemes in Portugal and other destinations. I would however like to suggest that it would be beneficial to develop something much more personal; a final dress rehearsal if you will; to showcase your venue’s approach before the eyes of an expectant public.
I sense that a gap is emerging between all the plans in place for the grand re-openings in due course, and the multitude of virtual tours of today highlighting what the visitor is currently missing. I would like to suggest that this gap can be filled with a segue into what visitors are going to experience on site so that they can seek any necessary reassurance at the time of booking – or even more pertinently, in advance. As long as this is engaging and ideally entertaining; it could be video, animation or in writing as part of your terms and conditions.
Every process or protocol that venues are going to act on; from interactions with staff to contactless payments, timed entries, queue avoidance etc. have without doubt been planned and considered by venues and are ready for implementation; nuanced against whatever the latest directives are at the time. When you add particular audiences to this core information; for example, families and local visitors; who will be first through the doors, additional potential complexities may arise. Considerations such as pre booking food from on site cafes or restaurants – or even forgoing these and suggesting visitors bring their own food with them to sit in socially distance appropriate areas, potentially limiting time on site and so forth; and quite quickly a plethora of additional information that will be unique to your product can become apparent.
Going back to my somewhat far fetched opening point; there are certain aspects of a visitor experience in the post Covid-19 world that will become almost subconscious in the minds of the visitor as they will be the same or very similar, regardless of where they choose to venture out. It will quickly be taken for granted that there will be hand santitizer, social distancing protocols and other ‘basics’ in place on arrival – just like knowing that your nearest exit may be behind you and that oxygen masks are above your head. A gentle reminder that you are following all the latest government led protocols of these facts will suffice – it’s everything else that may need explaining; and explaining clearly and empathetically to a potentially nervous audience.
It is these aspects that present a great personal opportunity to engage with, reassure and educate the visitor (and of course the travel trade buyers that you work with), with some of the pertinent details of what all your visitor experience planning will mean for your audience; now – well in advance of an actual opening date and it may even become a decision making factor in your favour. It goes without saying that all tourism businesses are there to be enjoyed; and marshaling people around ‘airport style’ is unlikely to enhance that experience; although admittedly it may be necessary to some degree depending on venue. Your specific requirements on site are based on your own risk assessments, and so it will be an opportunity for your venue to outline the how’s and why’s of your protocols and processes on site.
I am not suggesting for a moment that an industry kite mark will not serve a useful purpose; but as I am very fond to saying in my workshops – why have ‘one size fits all’ when you can have ‘made to measure’ for the same price?