Five ways BlueWander is shifting our business focus in 2020
Addressing the impact of COVID-19 in a year of uncertainty in travel
At BlueWander, we deeply care about travel and are passionate about giving people a way to have immersive experiences because we believe travel changes the world.
At the same time, we are cognizant of things that have changed in the last few months. We are saddened to see how badly the industry has been affected.
According to an Oxford Economics survey from April 15th, the U.S. Travel Industry is expecting a 45% decline this year. This includes an 81% drop in revenue in May and June, with continued losses over the rest of the year, reaching $519 billion. This translates into a total economic loss of $1.2 trillion in economic output.
An unprecedented number of companies have gone out of business or are expected to file for bankruptcy. Even mega-companies, the likes of Airbnb and Expedia, are not immune to this. And the ones that are going to survive are going to be more desperate than ever for new business.
That’s why we have taken these five key steps to shift our business during these challenging times.
1. Launching BlueWander Connect.
Seeing the need to offer access to affordable luxury travel experiences in addition to our bespoke concierge services, we’ve launched an entirely new online travel planning platform.
BlueWander Connect is a travel marketplace that provides travel agents with a platform to find new business. This is a decision based on thorough market analysis and leveraging our strengths — in this case, our proprietary lead generation system for specific destinations and specific types of travel.
With BlueWander Connect, travelers can share what they are looking for in their next vacation then receive customized offers from carefully vetted travel companies. They can choose their offer and work directly with the travel company to finalize trip details and book their travel.
Not only does this generate new business for travel companies, but it also introduces BlueWander to a new audience that might be looking for a more upscale experience (be it for a honeymoon or once-in-a-lifetime vacation) at a later time.
2. Adding attention to domestic travel and short-haul international destinations for India travelers
A recent report by MAGMA Global Travel released last week, found that most people are not going to travel internationally until a vaccine is found. Since that might be at least another 12–18 months away, we decided to encourage Indian residents to tour their own vast country and offer shorter trips to Bali (a popular destination from India) and Vietnam (which is among the first countries to open up to international travelers).
3. Introducing new “traveler-friendly” payment options
As we look ahead to an unpredictable summer due to travel restrictions and strict quarantines for the safety of our family and neighbors, BlueWander has implemented two new ways to bring bucket-list honeymoons or once-in-a-lifetime vacations into reality once we are free to roam the world again.
PLAN YOUR WANDER ITINERARY SERVICES: We are offering our award-winning itinerary planning services so you can design a customized, detailed daily travel plan with a deferred payment option.
PRE-BOOK YOUR WANDER TRAVEL SERVICES: Secure your customized itinerary with just a 10% deposit to take advantage of current pricing options without worrying about increased rates when travel restrictions are lifted.
4. Creating more content so you can make better decisions.
Feeling the call to wander? Dreaming of where to travel when the world opens back up? Excited to reschedule your perfect honeymoon?
We’ve got you covered. We’ve revamped our Follow Your Wander blog to provide inspiration and information on where to travel and how to get there in style. You’ll get travel gear reviews, hotel and attraction spotlights, destination guides, and travel journals to hold you over.
5. Giving back to local communities.
We will be launching a campaign in June to raise $10,000 for World Central Kitchen’s COVID-19 Food Relief fund by taking donations for a chance to win a 10-day trip to Vietnam along with cool travel-related prizes.
We are also donating part of our revenue proceeds from BlueWander and BlueWander Connect to a destination-based charity that helps improve the lives of local communities.
We are committed to bringing the world together through travel, and with that, we are doing what we can to best serve our clients, our travel partners, and the communities we visit so we all get through this together and come out on the other side more compassionate, more connected, and even more curious.
