GlobalData has revealed that environment, social and governance (ESG), COVID-19 and geopolitics are the top three themes mentioned by European tourism companies so far in 2022, respectively.
With such filings by companies in the EU, this indicates that these are the most pressing issues that the continent’s tourism industry faces.
Detailing these findings, the leading data and analytics company said ESG is the most mentioned theme totalling nearly 14,000 mentions in 2022 (as of July 28, 2022), demonstrating its importance.
Hannah Free, Travel and Tourism Analyst at GlobalData, said:
“EU law requires many large-scale companies to disclose information on the way they operate and manage social and environmental challenges. Many travelers now also demand greater transparency from companies and are increasingly wary of greenwashing attempts.
“This level of scrutiny from lawmakers and consumers has forced travel companies of all sizes to put ESG matters at the core of their operations.”
Hannah Free
Geopolitics Filings Peak
GlobalData’s ‘Company Filings Analytics’ show that mentions of ‘Geopolitics’ peaked in March 2022, with 2,562 mentions in July alone, an increase of 338 per cent from the previous month.
That said, this would have been an issue as many companies reacted to the Russia-Ukraine situation. However, the ongoing conflict has had a limited impact on travel companies and tourism demand within Europe.
A recent European Travel Commission survey showed that approximately 44 per cent of European respondents stated that the conflict did not affect their holiday plans at all and only 4 per cent completely cancelled their trip.
While travel demand is likely to prevail, the Russian invasion of Ukraine triggered high inflation.
“A GlobalData consumer survey shows that 66 per cent of European respondents are ‘extremely’ or ‘quite’ concerned about the impact of inflation on their household budget.”
Hannah Free
It is important to note that tourism’s outlook could be endangered by the repercussions as the ultimate consequence is the erosion of disposable incomes, Free said.
To be sure, it remains to be seen how households across Europe (especially lower-income earners) will make a trade-off in terms of travel spending.
There are several possibilities for travel here: holidaymakers may opt to not travel, may travel domestically rather than internationally, travel to a destination which they perceive to be more affordable, or trade down e.g., stay at a budget hotel rather than midscale.
Covid-19 Featuring as a theme
COVID-19 has remained a key theme with more than 3,000 mentions so far in 2022. However, from January 2022 to June 2022, COVID-19 mentions declined by 54 per cent , suggesting that the theme is slowly losing momentum.
Concurrently, a GlobalData poll revealed that 53 per cent of global respondents are ‘not concerned’ or are ‘not very concerned’ about the spread of COVID-19, amid easing travel restrictions and rising vaccination rates.
While COVID-19 is likely to remain a feature in company filings for the foreseeable future, there is reason to be cautiously optimistic as GlobalData forecasts that international departures from European countries will increase by 125 per cent from 2021 to 2022.
Besides, tourism companies that are able to successfully navigate these themes through investment, management and strategy will remain or emerge as industry leaders, Free said.
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