INTERVIEW

While health, safety and security issues have a strong influence on the choice of travel destinations for leisure travelers, Milton Longo- bardi, Director of São Paulo Tourism, explains that as leisure travel has become more of a commodity, he has found that consumers are looking toward more travel-friendly destinations where they can relax in peace. However, it is up to travel organizations themselves to maintain and help restore positive perceptions when issues arise.

Longobardi points to occurrences like hurricanes, tsunamis, the Ebola outbreak, avian flu and the Arab Spring as events that have altered travel intentions for consumers and caused them to change their plans. In light of these incidents, he says that digital has played a major role in helping to inform travelers about scenarios that may cause travel concerns.

“Digital and mobile connectivity have had a great impact in this area and often come from travel sites like TripAdvisor, Travelzoo, Booking. com, etc.,” he says. “I have also found that word of mouth is playing a greater role in this area as friends and relatives share information around any concerns they may have about a particular area.”

He also points out that digital and mobile can have an adverse effect on the tourism of a country as it relates to travel concerns. Reports in the news and media do not always contain the whole story and can cause anxiety among travelers who may be considering traveling to a destination affected by health or safety concerns.

“Even a small rumor about travel concerns can spread virally in very little time, which can impact any economy,” he says. “The effects of this type of problem can be enormous on the economy of a city, country or entire region.”

When it comes to recovering from the backlash around various health, safety and security issues that may affect tourism, Longo- bardi says that the same tools that often exacerbate the probWhile health, safety and security issues have a strong influence on the choice of travel destinations for leisure travelers, Milton Longo- bardi, Director of São Paulo Tourism, explains that as leisure travel has become more of a commodity, he has found that consumers are looking toward more travel-friendly destinations where they can relax in peace. lem—i.e., digital and mobile—should be used to fight back and restore proper perception among travelers.

“Mass media that is supported by strong, targeted digital and mobile communications for travel sites can be used to counteract the effect that negative communications can have on tourism,” he says. “It is also important for airlines and other travel carriers to work with partner associations to successfully restore the image of a destination in the minds of consumers."