MANILA -- The tourism sector continues to adapt to changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic as it encourages people to travel while ensuring their health and safety.

In a panel discussion during the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) global summit in Manila on Thursday, experts shared their thoughts on how the global health crisis is shaping the future of travel around the world.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said they are now working on unifying health protocols in the region to make the process more convenient for travelers.

"We are talking in the ASEAN at least... to see how we can unify our health protocols," she said. "[We want] to make it less tedious. You don't have to answer so many things, and for the traveler to not think that it's such a burden to travel."

"We want to make it as seamless as possible. We hope that we can do it first in the ASEAN, and eventually global," she added.

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Romulo-Puyat said this will encourage not just leisure travel but also "workations," noting that many have been combining their business trips with family vacations.

"People are traveling more, even for business, and now they're bringing their families with them. They call it a workation -- they work via Zoom, have their families with them, and stay longer in a place," she said. "Sometimes their kids can go to online schooling and they don't miss a thing... We're more efficient now because we can do so many meetings and at the same time still enjoy tourist destinations."

Other panelists -- which include Marriott Interrnational group president for international Craig Smith, Dubai Airports International CEO Paul Griffiths, and Global Rescue Companies CEO Dan Richards -- similarly spoke of an effort to unify protocols and even health credentials on a single platform to spur tourism.

"We have the technology and we can deploy them at scale. I think as an industry we need to focus on making sure that technology is institutionalized [with help from government]," Richards said.

They also emphasized the need to reassess tourism products to cater to the changing needs of travelers.

"The important statistics about the threat to human life have receded hugely, and we need to start being more confident about travel. I think people will be more demanding about the quality of the experience they have, the safety of their experience from airlines, airports, [and] hotels," Griffiths said.

"All of the component parts of travel and tours will have to take a real quality perspective of their products. And if we reassure people that they can be bold and reach all the corners of the earth, then we'll be in very good shape as an industry."

ECO-FRIENDLY ACCOMMODATIONS, LESSER KNOWN-SPOTS

Another WTTC global summit panel discussion specifically looked at trends that the tourism sector needs to prepare for, particularly the rise of eco-friendly accommodations and experiences.

Citing their own research, YouGov global sector head of travel and tourism Eva Stewart said the pandemic has caused a shift in how people think and feel as they take a step back and consider their impact on the environment.

"Some people chose to consume less meat, recycle more, and buy more local produce. And these considerations then shift into travel, naturally," she said.

"We saw a big shift across age groups looking for eco-friendly accommodation... As an industry, if we help consumers find those options for less touristy places and eco-friendly options, then that's going to help resonate [with] the responsible travelers of which we estimate to be around 300 million around the world at the moment," she added.

Stewart said travelers are also starting to appreciate remote and less popular destinations, and are more conscious about buying locally produced goods during their trips.

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"They wanted to contribute to communities which have suffered tremendously from loss of income because tourists dissipated from their lives and they depended a lot on it... They wanted to disperse that economic benefit as much as they could," she said.

Tomohiro Kaneko, vice commissioner of the Japan Tourism Agency, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism, saw a similar trend in his country, and have been focusing their efforts in promoting other destinations as they prepare to open to foreign travelers.

He said that before the pandemic, 60% of foreign tourists only visited popular Japanese cities such as Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto.

"We would like to promote other regional areas like Hokkaido and Kyushu island to foreign tourists," he said, although he admitted that he still could not say when Japan will finally start welcoming international travelers.

And while more people are starting to travel abroad, TBO Holidays Gaurav Bhatnagar believes that the rise of domestic tourism will continue even after the pandemic.

"The last two years have been about rediscovering our own countries... I think that will continue post-pandemic. It may not be at the same pace, but the residual effect will definitely happen there," he said.

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For his part, HotelPlanner and Meetings.com CEO Tim Hentschel noticed an increase in trips related to weddings and sporting events.

"Right now, we're seeing a huge rebound in weddings. Obviously a lot of pent-up demand for weddings market, and getting married virtually is not ideal," he said. "Weddings are just exploding right now."

TRAVEL INSURANCE

The COVID-19 pandemic has also brought travel insurance to the fore as people have become more concerned about their health and safety amid the "new normal."

AIG Travel CEO Jeffrey Rutledge observed that consumer engagement when it comes to travel insurance is "on a level we've never seen before."

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"The biggest change from a consumer standpoint is prior to the pandemic, the way that people were motivated by product is very different," he said.

"That has changed post-COVID because every consumer is operating on the same level of concern, that they are taken care of in their journey," he added.

Asked about the idea of compulsory travel insurance being considered by governments, Rutledge replied: "What is important is for certain countries to make a decision based on their tolerance for their health care system is able to do, as to whether or not they want to accept that risk for the individuals that come to their jurisdiction."