Team Palisis has been on the road—Fitur in Madrid, then onto Arival in San Diego.
In mid-January, our team met up in Madrid, and we struggled to find the words to express how fabulous it was to be with our team members in Spain and especially to be with the newest additions to our team.
Fitur’s Mission: “Fitur is the global meeting point for tourism professionals and the leading trade fair for inbound and outbound markets in Latin America.” Most attendees were from Spain, Mediterranean destinations, Europe or Latin America, and all conversations were about the travel expectations for April onward and the relaxing of borders. It was wonderful to see plenty of private companies and organisations among all of the DMOs with representation from all over the world. This was a fantastic first event of 2022.
Next, Eduard continued onto Arival in San Diego. He was not only welcomed by the warmer weather in California but by the enthusiasm that only the tours, activities, and attractions sector has.
Arival’s Mission: “Arival advances the business of creating amazing in-destination experiences.” There were so many takeaways from this conference, the networking was pure magic, and the creativity flowing from small operators will always amaze us.
The eagerness of operators and business owners to get back to full operations was intense, expected, and inspiring. It was affirming to hear about teams growing again, rehiring, and regrouping with renewed zest. The conference was full of enlightening town halls, lively debates between res tech companies, insights from top OTAs, and rich presentations sharing ideas with hands-on, creative sessions. The Connectivity Forum continues to gather top players from the tours and activities res tech, ticketing and connectivity spaces along with OTAs discussing the current state of OCTo, an industry technical standard.
An interesting topic discussed at Arival was focusing on the domestic markets and how OTAs and distributors develop more products with locals in mind. The dreaming phase is alive and well with a very long window. Travellers are researching and dreaming more than ever with high hopes, but recent restrictions kept the average traveller closer to home than their dreams initially included. Distribution partners are in tune with this trend and have their teams designing experiences that encourage adventures in many forms. As borders continue to open, we recognise trends are constantly evolving.
This overall trip was not without doubts, but Eduard’s concerns quickly diminished with the safety protocols, respect for masks, outdoor functions, and honestly, the ease of travel. The lively debates, the recovery insights, and the quality of attendees and decision-makers reiterated the value that Arival consistently delivers at each event. Eduard was delighted by meeting new connections, chatting with old friends, and finding new synergies. Yes, the tours, activities, and attractions may be the hardest hit travel sector, but we absolutely have the best crew, making it ‘the best part of travel.’
About Palisis
Palisis is the leading technology provider of comprehensive sales and operations solutions for tourism and transportation businesses around the world. Due to its rich experience, specific market knowledge, consumer centricity and process orientation, Palisis is the industry technology pacemaker. As a full-service provider, Palisis supports your business processes and operational procedures with the most efficient and reliable solution available. Today, Palisis solutions are successfully and effectively used by customers in over 100 countries around the globe.