Column Marije Breuker: ‘live disaster exercise’

A few more days and we can tick a small milestone: 100 days in Corona time. The 100 Day Review actually dates back to a similar major depression era. Namely, the first 100 days of the “New Deal” from the first term presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. He launched a comprehensive social and economic reform program in 1933 (coincidentally also in the month of March) to pull America out of the doldrums of an unprecedented Great Depression.

The guiding idea of the New Deal was that the government would pump substantial money into the economy to keep the crisis manageable. All this in a frame of 3 H’s: Help, Recovery and Reform.

In this 14th week “live disaster exercise,” I read almost daily bankruptcies filed in the travel industry, supplemented by emotional and personal words from passionate fellow entrepreneurs for whom the economic impact in Corona was not manageable. 100 days of working very hard in survival mode to vigorously represent the interests of the customers without one cent of income. Elongated working days without contours that had descended during 100 days of haze. No signs of giving up. Until it really couldn’t go on any longer. Used up every last bit of oxygen. I try to imagine what that moment must feel like for them. The moment when there is no other option left than to reluctantly throw in the towel in an actually until recently healthy company. Then the company must not have been in good shape before the crisis either,’ critics sometimes say. In the travel industry, this is not true. The full risk of calamities, according to the Package Travel Directive, lies with the tour operator, and this is precisely what has been a major flaw. Repatriation, extra nights, refund of deposits to the customer when this money has long been tied up abroad. It is impossible to sustain this exercise with margins that are far too small. The major review is “only” scheduled for January in Brussels. Incomprehensible. An agenda item for reform!

This week Transavia.com settles regarding the vouchers. So it has taken 100 days for Transavia to do what it should have done from the beginning. I don’t know what it is with Transavia but their communication, problem solving and thinking along with the customer are shocking and way below par. Many policy changes, no direction, no empathy. As an intermediary, it’s embarrassing and just can’t be explained to customers. It would be nice if Transavia took advantage of the corona evaluation to make much-needed changes.

This week, tour buses are driving into The Hague honking en masse. This industry is virtually at a standstill as well. I totally understand their frustration, especially in relation to what is already allowed again. The logic is so rightly lacking.

I read this week that Corendon, still well on its way to its best year ever at the beginning of 2020, will be forced to lay off a quarter of its staff. ‘A lost and disastrous year’ headlines the media. The example of Corendon represents so many similar cases in the travel industry. Fortunately, help from the New Deal 3.0 plan prevented worse.

100 days of Corona time. I wonder if things will become structurally different. Not everything from the New Deal of 90 years ago was a success. Of course, there was opposition and I see that happening on social media now. Something about 1.5 meters and legal restrictions in the fundamental right. Our line of business runs on energetic connections. Despite great gratitude for the national aid program, above all – keeping in mind what is inevitable – let us evaluate these 100 days what is possible and includes logic. Then many people in this industry can return to work “normally.

At the request of MICE & Business Travel, Marije Breuker, founder of Motivation Travel keeps a weekly diary about her experiences during the corona crisis. This is part 4.

 

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This article is written by

Marije Breuker