4 Ways Spain Can Bring its A-Game to Win with Brexit

SARAGOSSA, Spain - Nov. 22, 2018 - PRLog -- Tick tock tic tock! March 2019 is just a hot minute away. And come what May, ALL sectors in Spain are going to feel it. In Spain, we're most concerned about tourism. Earlier this month at the World Travel Market in London it was the topic on everyone's lips! "If there is no deal on Brexit, the destination's tourism incomes could reduce by around $747 million, around £573 million – of which the UK accounts for more than half." Caroline Bremner (Euromonitor International).

Despite claims in the UK press that Spain is taking a mañana approach, big business is making contingency plans for both and hard and soft Brexit. Whatever your size now is the time to bring your A game to your PR, tech and strategy. Let's say you're a tourism company, perhaps a hotel chain in Aragón, Zaragoza or throughout Spain, what are some of your options?

1. Cruise Your Way to Success.

Ever seen how cruises put together their packages with options for groups, single travelers, service charges included, specialty restaurants included, excursions, WiFi, babysitting…you name it? Their booking systems let people to pick and choose (like the new McDonalds ordering machines), and if someone wants to pay everything in advance so that they know the end price, they can.

So start thinking how you can make your booking system more flexible and include extras so guest can pre-pay before departure and buy peace of mind.

2. Play Wide.

Yes, the UK accounts for a large amount of incoming tourism, but the middle classes in emerging economies have increasing spending power and this trend is only going to increase. In Spain, we've already seen an influx of tourism from the newer markets of China and Russia. And what about the other emerging tourism markets of Brazil, Indonesia and India?

3. Evolve.

For the last decade marketing gurus have been preaching of the importance of finding a niche…or a tribe. So what are some of these niches? Women's tourism, eco-tourism, cycle tourism, bluxury travel, bleisure travel, adventure travel…you name it.

4. Think Omnichannel.

Whether you are a hotel wanting to offer more all-encompassing prices before departure for a range of different services, or a "bluxury" tour operator wanting to ensure your clients have a seamless experience from the moment they leave their house to the moment they arrive home, this requires careful coordination with operators in other sectors. Now is the perfect time to create cross-sector collaborations to offer pre-departure cost saving and convenience. Entire destinations have the opportunity to create advance paid smart cards offering access to a whole range of services and attractions. Take a look at the London Pass or the IAmsterdam card or the Valencia Tourist Card.

We all know change is around the corner. So if there was ever a time to start running a tight ship, it's now. If your website or tech is outdated, change it now. In the first quarter of 2019 there's going to be a deluge of businesses repackaging and remarketing their products to take into account new regulations and to continue to attract international business.

If you know you're going to need marketing, technological, communications and translation support, source your suppliers in advance to ensure quality. Because when there's a lot of work around, quality goes down as less professional operators turn to non-native freelancers, amateurs and even friends and family!

Whatever strategies you decide to go with, as always, the first company/ destination to implement them has first-mover advantage. And, if poorly managed, this could destroy your brand. Quality has been the leitmotiv of the tourism industry and now this is more important than ever.

So when you're preparing your new marketing materials, make sure you have the very best support teams. At Acantho, we have experience in translating millions of words for destination management companies, tourism companies, hotel chains and local governments and we're ready to help.

For more information on how we can help you translate change into opportunity, please contact us via https://acantho.eu or call (+34) 976 910 300.