European price war threatens deepened cash-flow crisis, Ascott achieves 139% YoY growth, regain distribution control and re-thinking corporate events for a brave new world.

European price war threatens deepened cash-flow crisis
Wednesday, 17th June 2020

Airlines making their first tentative steps towards restart of operations are keen to convince the public that air travel is back, but making the case will not be easy – or cheap. Early indications are that many passengers are nervous about boarding an aircraft, especially older travellers. And given that the world is dealing not only with a pandemic but with a recession, customers will be cautious with their money.

It is the pervasive reluctance to fly that Europe’s airlines are looking to reverse, and they plan to do so by dramatically cutting prices >>

Ascott achieves 139% YoY growth
17 Jun 2020 : Ascott has set a new record by securing contracts for 25 new properties with over 5,400 units across nineteen cities globally. The largest number of new properties clinched in the first five months of any year >>

Middle East hotel pipeline shows slight deceleration
17 Jun 2020 : Analysts at Lodging Econometrics state in the first quarter of 2020, the hotel construction pipeline in the Middle East decelerated slightly to 607 projects/172,182 rooms, down 3% and 5% respectively, year-over-year (YOY) >>

Will hotels use the crisis to regain distribution control?
13 Jun 2020 : Hotel owners and operators in the Maldives are learning the hard way how quickly disruption can turn cash flow negative >>

Global Tourism Organisations unite to create coalition
17 Jun 2020 : Six non-governmental organisations call for a rebalance in tourism as the sector recovers from COVID-19 and have come together for the first time to form a coalition with the global mission to place destinations at the centre of recovery strategies >>

HIGHLIGHT ARTICLE

Meetings Mosaic: Re-Thinking Corporate Events for a Brave New World
Wednesday, 17th June 2020

We humans are social creatures. We share mirror neurons that allow us to subconsciously match each other’s emotions. Face-to-face requests are 34 times more likely to garner positive responses than emails.

Yet, in the absence of an effective vaccine or treatment, 64% of epidemiologists think it will be over a year before large events return. And, it’s increasingly unlikely that we will see a return to the status quo.

Brands should prepare for the future with a meeting & events strategy that includes a mosaic of virtual, hybrid, and in-person events to give attendees the interaction they crave >>

Hashtag Activism and Why Walking Your Talk is Critical to Brands Today
In the midst of widespread demands for change across America and around the globe, many brands are shifting tones in their marketing efforts to share with powerful messages of support for the Black Lives Matter movement >>

From Broadway to Bedroom
Right now, the world needs theatre, live music, poetry and performance: Passion for a craft can help bring people together, and provide that much needed escapism, yet it looks like this may not be possible due to social distancing. However, there could be another way >>

In case you've missed it: Global eNews of June 16, 2020
Culture and heritage tourism – a significant driver, TUI and Boeing reach 737 MAX agreement, a clean start to hotel distribution and cut people: who should stay and who should go? >>