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On behalf of PUM Senior Experts (www.pum.nl) the Netherlands, Jasper Heslinga was invited to give a speech during the International Academic Conference on Tourism (INTACT). The conference was all about “Post Pandemic Tourism” and to better understanding of trends and future directions for the tourism sector.
In his speech, Jasper talked about the unprecedented situation brought by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 which strengthened global calls for the re-evaluation of travel and tourism and its contribution to a more sustainable and resilient future. There is uncertainty whether COVID-19 is a true game-changer for the tourism sector, or is the effect limited? And it remains uncertain how the industry will deal with the aftermath of this disruptive event and develop further in the future.
In the presentation, scenario planning was identified as a tool that is helpful when trying to understand trends and future trajectories. Heslinga will present and explain a scenario planning study he did to understand the impact of COVID-19 on the industry. Also, Heslinga talked about a recent study focused on the pre-pandemic and forthcoming travel plans of European travellers, the potential impact of the pandemic on their projected behaviour, the behavioural constraints that would keep them from adapting sustainable travel practices as well as statements related to the underlying value system, beliefs, and norms that are likely to guide travellers’ actions. These research projects are helpful input for making more tailor-made and effective policies and strategies supporting sustainable tourism and travel.
As PUM Experts, Jasper Heslinga and Menno Stokman have been involved in building a partnership between PUM and the Center for Tourism Studies based at Gadjah Mada University, Yogjakarta, Indonesia. They were invited by prof. Janianton Damanik and hopefully the speech will lead to a stronger future collaboration.
More information about the event and the speakers, can be found here: https://intact.ugm.ac.id/