For many of us, the year 2020 is more than a dozen canceled trips and enough to open an airline voucher savings account. Or how to go from a traveling lifestyle with the constant perspective of the next take-off to… nothing.

We’ve had our wings cut off

Many of us, actors of tourism, heard in 2020, that their job, their passion, what they devote most of their life to and go further as far as I’m concerned, what defines them, would not be not considered essential or useful. How again, sentences like “we are not saving lives either, we are doing marketing” or “it’s okay you don’t travel anymore, it’s not a death penalty” hit me in the face, even in my heart. . .

If it appears in the eyes of some, futile or in any case out of step with their vision of things and with their reality, that the deprivation of boarding a plane can go so far as to generate a pain, it looks similar to students who are deprived of carelessness, to athletes who had a year of competitions ahead of them, to artists and their cancelled program of shows, etc. Without objectives, or without perspective of travel plans, how to project yourself, how to stay optimistic and motivated?

What if, for some of us, travel was like a fuel, in other words … essential ?

This is also our role at GroupExpression: remain optimistic, continue to support and accompany the key players in this fabulous World of Travel, understand the new needs of travelers, their search for meaning, key values and above all ensure that everyone will be ready to restart.

Without lack, no desire : what if traveling was essential or even… therapeutic ?

When a friend told me “we have to go on a trip to the other side of the world, it’s a question of psychological survival” , it still asked me a little question … Especially since at the same time, another friend confessed to me: “I no longer watch travel documentaries, it annoys me and frustrates me even more”.

To travel is to get away from it all, recharge your batteries, discover other cultures. As Eric Weiner wrote on the National Geographic website. Over the years, we haven’t stopped traveling and we took it for granted.

Traveling is to plan, prepare, organize, inspire yourself, enter a travel agency with exotic colors to start the experience.
Traveling is also a moment of life, it is this sport competition in the south of France for which we have been preparing for months, it is this weekend in Europe to meet your lover, it is to leave on the spot because the weather is nice in Madrid this weekend, it is an attempt to rekindle the flame in a couple, it is a family vacation to strengthen ties, to make your children laugh, to go party, to meet up and to let go.
Traveling is to be yourself, but elsewhere. It is also giving yourself time for yourself, a break, a breath, some oxygen.

Traveling is an adrenaline rush when you book a plane ticket, it’s the zip of the suitcase, it’s the sound of the waves, it’s the announcement jingle at the airport, this ‘is the discovery of new flavors, it is the meeting of the other one, it is the joy of reunion, it is these unforeseen events that will create beautiful memories and anecdotes, it is this exhilarating feeling of the unknown and this incredible feeling of existing, of breathing, and of living fully the present moment.

Adapt your communication plan to the new wishes of the traveler

“Life is not waiting for the storm to pass, it is learning to dance in the rain” said Seneca. And this is what we have been doing at GroupExpression for almost a year now, leveraging the tenacity, flexibility and creativity of our teams.

We are committed to continuing to support the brands we represent in order to be ready for a restart, in a world where lines have changed, where needs have changed.
Our role is precisely to help them adapt their marketing and communication strategies, adopt the right tone and the right messages, be sure to address to the right audience, establish priorities and stay connected to the reality of the market and to the consumer expectations.

It is also the creation and provision of new tools, such as our B2B website www.MySecretTravel.fr which has been updated with new options and our brand new press office which will be released very soon.

So this year we are not giving up, we are in the starting blocks for an efficient, connected and tailor-made restart. Hang in there, because we’re all set, full of energy and we still have amazing projects in our suitcase!

Géraldine Charollais
Senior PR and Marketing Consultant – Tourism Department
geraldine@groupexpression.fr
https://www.linkedin.com/in/geraldinecharollais/