The Year In Review And Looking Forward to 2022, Part 4
ACCELERATE, unity, hope – among words being used to describe 2022 in this list of contributions from our community – Part 4 of looking back at 2021 (oh, what a year) and forward to 2022 (please, let it be good). And, again from the answers in this batch, there’s cautious optimism for the year ahead, even as the Omricon variant continues to spread alarm across the world. As Bob Iger (Walt Disney) once said, “What I’ve really learned over time is that optimism is a very important part of leadership.”
Eric Gnock Fah, COO & Co-founder, Klook
Q: Looking back – one word to describe 2021
Preparation
Q: One word you wish would disappear from the vocabulary
Lockdowns
Q: One word you wish would be used more
Joyful
Q: Looking forward – one word to describe 2022
Accelerate
Q: Looking at your data, how would you describe the start of 2022?
For domestic travel, there will be a sustained strong demand across our markets. As travel restrictions ease and borders open up, cross-border travel will continue to grow but we’re expecting some bumps ahead.
Q: What is your gut, data and guesswork telling you about how the rest of 2022 will pan out?
Covid may have robbed us of two years of travel but 2022 will bring back joyful experiences to consumers around the world – domestically or cross-border. This is going to be the year of travel recovery.
Q: What’s the one key thing you’re doing to prepare your business for whatever lies ahead?
Invest in people
Q: What is the biggest opportunity for your business in 2022?
As we enter a new age of travel, we are seeing an increasing resilience in the mindset shifting towards living with COVID globally. This is the beginning of travel recovery and we will continue to focus on domestic and international travel, our twin engines of growth.
Q: What part of your job would you like to do more of in 2022?
Employee development and mentoring is something that I’ve enjoyed the past year and would like to do more of in 2022
Q: On a scale of 1-10, rate how optimistic (10 being most) how you feel about 2022?
8
Q: What’s the one word you’d like to embrace for 2022?
Purpose
Q: What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or watched that you might not have otherwise?
Daniel Kahneman’s “Thinking, Fast And Slow”
Laura Houldsworth, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Booking.com
Q: Looking back – one word to describe 2021
Evolving
Q: One word you wish would disappear from the vocabulary
Covid
Q: One word you wish would be used more
Passport
Q: Looking forward – one word to describe 2022
Opportunity
Q: Looking at your data, how would you describe the start of 2022?
Travellers are ready to go, we need restrictions to lift and travellers to feel confident. If, as an industry and in collaboration with governments, we can do that, we will have a good start to the year.
Q: What is your gut, data and guesswork telling you about how the rest of 2022 will pan out?
My gut feeling is one of optimism, it tells me that things will continue to improve, more travel options will open and the friction that is currently creating challenges will gradually ease, however, this will not be a linear improvement, we will continue to have bumps in the road but we will be better prepared for each one.
Q: What’s the one key thing you’re doing to prepare your business for whatever lies ahead?
We continue to work on bringing our mission to “make it easier for everyone to experience the world” to life. From health and safety searches, inclusive travel with our Travel Proud badge and ensuring there is a world to experience by enabling our accommodation partners to display their sustainable practices with our Travel Sustainable badge.
Q: What is the biggest opportunity for your business in 2022?
Getting Asia Pacific travelling again!
Q: What part of your job would you like to do more of in 2022?
Travelling – visiting our partners and our teams around the region
Q: On a scale of 1-10, rate how optimistic (10 being most) how you feel about 2022?
8
Q: What’s the one word you’d like to embrace for 2022?
Experiences
Q: What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or watched that you might not have otherwise?
I definitely got through more series on Netflix than I would normally, or would like to again!
David Peller, Managing Director, Travel and Hospitality, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Q: Looking back – one word to describe 2021
Relentless
Q: One word you wish would disappear from the vocabulary
Inequality
Q: One word you wish would be used more
Equality
Q: Looking forward – one word to describe 2022
Revitalised
Q: Looking at your data, how would you describe the start of 2022?
Evolving. We see travel and hospitality customers accelerating their adoption of cloud computing, to provide greater agility, inspire innovation, and to reduce costs. At the same time, the uncertain environment creates challenges for all.
Q: What is your gut, data and guesswork telling you about how the rest of 2022 will pan out?
Don’t underestimate the pent-up demand that travellers and guests have for travel and to explore the world.
Q: What’s the one key thing you’re doing to prepare your business for whatever lies ahead?
We all need to continuing innovating on behalf of customers. Travellers’ expectations have changed (and will continue to evolve).
Q: What is the biggest opportunity for your business in 2022?
Enabling more travel and hospitality companies to deliver enhanced experiences for travellers and guests, while improving their operational efficiency – through the use of technology and cloud computing.
Q: What part of your job would you like to do more of in 2022?
Being ‘hospitable’; we’re in the hospitality business after all. Forming deeper, more personal, in-person connections with customers, partners, colleagues, and industry stakeholders.
Q: On a scale of 1-10, rate how optimistic (10 being most) how you feel about 2022?
8
Q: What’s the one word you’d like to embrace for 2022?
Equality
Q: What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or watched that you might not have otherwise?
“My Life in Full” by Indra Nooyi. From India, to Yale, to CEO of PepsiCo: an inspiring story for equality, and an incredible journey balancing competing priorities. Lessons for us all.
Laurent Kuenzle, Managing Director, Asian Trails
Q: Looking back – one word to describe 2021
Uncertainty
Q: One word you wish would disappear from the vocabulary
Covid
Q: One word you wish would be used more
Thank you
Q: Looking forward – one word to describe 2022
Hope
Q: Looking at your data, how would you describe the start of 2022?
Slow
Q: What is your gut, data and guesswork telling you about how the rest of 2022 will pan out?
I put all my business focus on the 2nd half of 2022.
Q: What’s the one key thing you’re doing to prepare your business for whatever lies ahead?
Keep my managers and staff employed, motivated and engaged.
Q: What is the biggest opportunity for your business in 2022?
Digital transformation.
Q: What part of your job would you like to do more of in 2022?
Face to face meeting with staff and clients.
Q: On a scale of 1-10, rate how optimistic (10 being most) how you feel about 2022?
8
Q: What’s the one word you’d like to embrace for 2022?
Opportunities
Q: What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or watched that you might not have otherwise?
My Octopus Teacher
Bjorn Courage, President, Phuket Hotels Association
Q: Looking back – one word to describe 2021
Rollercoaster
Q: One word you wish would disappear from the vocabulary
Pandemic
Q: One word you wish would be used more
Confidence
Q: Looking forward – one word to describe 2022
Recovery
Q: Looking at your data, how would you describe the start of 2022?
Promising
Q: What is your gut, data and guesswork telling you about how the rest of 2022 will pan out?
A gradual recovery to a fairly normal Q4 2022
Q: What’s the one key thing you’re doing to prepare your business for whatever lies ahead?
Challenging the “status quo” by keeping an “open mind” as for sure post-Covid tourism industry will look very different than the one pre-Covid
Q: What is the biggest opportunity for your business in 2022?
Destination Marketing, truly make the world see Phuket’s beauty, uniqueness and diverse experiences to explore
Q: What part of your job would you like to do more of in 2022?
Interact with guests returning to Phuket
Q: On a scale of 1-10, rate how optimistic (10 being most) how you feel about 2022?
7
Q: What’s the one word you’d like to embrace for 2022?
Unity
Q: What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or watched that you might not have otherwise?
Endless destination videos from across the world, reminded me how fortunate we are to explore the wonders of the world, as long as we do it responsibly. So much to enjoy…
• Featured image credit: Getty Images