While governments celebrate records of international visitors — in Brazil, for example, there were 9.2 million last year — tourists face giant queues, crowded places and cell phones at the ready to take the perfect photo while, in some cases, leaving behind negative effects such as pollution and environmental damage. But as the tourism sector tries to deal with customer frustration, Edmar Mendoza Bull, CEO of tourism giant Copastur, sees the situation as an opportunity.
“We look at ‘overtourism’ as an opportunity to improve that experience. We also have, from this, the ability to organize a change in behavior”, says the executive, in an interview with the program From Zero to Topwhich tells stories of successful companies.
He explains that, with social media and the speed of change, seasons are moving faster. “This week, the hype is one. Next week, it will be another”, he summarizes.
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For him, this helps to deconcentrate demand: “there are many good destinations that most people still don’t know about. We have the opportunity to offer other destinations, sometimes even at a more attractive budget, than the one that everyone wants just to take a photo”, he says.
For the executive, the future of tourism will be personalized, which is already seen in the luxury segment, which tends to anticipate market trends. Among the examples cited are ultra-luxury hotels, yachts from major international brands, concierge services and exclusive custom-designed experiences.
“The possibilities of personalization, experience and surprising our customers, no matter what social level they are at, is what we see as transformation over time”, stated the CEO.
Corporate travel trends
With an overall sales value of more than R$2 billion, Copastur became known as a corporate tourism company. Despite having expanded its business fronts, the company still accounts for a large part of the work trips that take place in the country. “Corporate travel continues to grow. Brazil has the particularity of, of course, having large companies in the North and Northeast regions. But we still have a greater concentration in the Southeast and South. This indicates a very large potential for growth in the airline network, hotel offerings and services”, he says.
According to the executive, in terms of attractiveness for corporate travel, the North and Northeast regions will grow a lot in the coming years and this, of course, will bring a greater need for corporate travel.
