Spa and wellness industry expert predicts a bumpy ride to the ‘new normal’
LEADERSHIP skills have never been more essential, and spa and wellness industry leader Andrew Gibson has presented an in-depth webinar to prepare businesses for the ‘new normal’ in the aftermath of the pandemic.
Eve Oxberry hosted a webinar presented by Andrew Gibson
Along with host Eve Oxberry, Professional Beauty and Aesthetic Medicine magazines Head of Editorial and Professional Beauty Group MD Mark Moloney, Sensei wellness brand Senior Vice President Andrew Gibson has advised how businesses can make it through the coronavirus pandemic.
Mark Moloney (left) joined Andrew Gibson and Eve Oxberry in a webinar about essential leadership skills
The pandemic has already forced smaller businesses into negative equity while the larger luxury wellness accommodation resorts are looking for ways to cope with losses while attracting clients back when travel restrictions are lifted.
“We have already started to see things like contactless cards (for payment), self-check-ins and self-service kiosks where you have got no human interaction at all,” said Andrew Gibson, Chairman of the World Tourism Association. “More and more of those kinds of features will come into place where staff are behind the scenes and rarely seen. “It is already here. It will just become more prevalent and more relevant.”
Paramount to industry’s recovery will be to build client confidence that they will be safe from any doubts of lingering infection. Mr Gibson explained that developing innovative tourism incentives, incorporating personal touches from check-in to room accommodation while observing the possible continuation of social distancing are essential to a business’s survival.
Hotels and spas from boutiques to resorts have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic
“I think that we are going to have to have some kind of way to determine who is immune and who isn’t,” Andrew Gibson explained. “Whether that is (through) immunity cards which are going to have massive resistance, or it is pre-tests before you travel, screening is going to be the guarantee because then you know before they come to you.”
The webinar by Andrew Gibson was in conjunction with Virtual Spa Week, which was ongoing until 17th April.
Professional Beauty hosts a link to coronavirus resources online at https://professionalbeauty.co.uk.
