“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win”

Sun Tzu, The Art of War

In the past week I’ve lost count of those who have declared that the UK and most of the world is now on a wartime footing.

Across the travel industry, across virtually every industry, we are all at war since the rise of Covid-19. The war for businesses won’t be swift, and it won’t be decisive for some time to come, but the decisions and actions that we take in these opening weeks will define which of those businesses will emerge from the battlefield stronger than before.

Businesses need a battle plan. If it’s not already in place, it needs to be drawn up quickly.

They need comrades in arms that they will trust with their lives as they move forward, fighting for and celebrating every inch they gain.

And they’ll need the utmost resolution to keep going, even when their plans go awry. They’ll need the conviction that comes from knowing that battles lost can also lead to wars won.

At TTG Media we are resolute in our battle plan for the months ahead. We entered this period in the strongest shape we’ve been in since our formation in 2013, and with a clear, unwavering purpose since we launched our mission to promote a Smarter, Better, Fairer travel industry last year. We’ve never been so close to our travel agency and travel supplier community.

But we know we can only promote a Smarter, Better, Fairer travel industry in the future if we trade as smartly and as fairly as we can now.

Since the beginning of the crisis we’ve aimed to be the comprehensive home for coronavirus-related news and support for travel businesses, through our dedicated Coronavirus Updates hub and since last Monday our Coronavirus Business Support Service.

We’re also now seeking to bring travel together under the #onetravelindustry movement, with travel companies and professionals so clearly united as one against a common enemy, rather than their competitors.

The result is an incredible uplift in our online traffic – with travel companies cancelling itineraries and air and cruise lines shutting down by the hour, professionals have needed immediate news like never before.

A key part of our battle plan now is to reduce our costs and to enable us to keep supporting the industry to the same high level by taking our magazine digital-only until the crisis passes its peak. With travel companies taking an understandable break from marketing at the moment, it makes sense for us to pause print publishing and move solely to digital editions for the time being, thereby saving the cost of not only printing and paper, but postage too.

Suspending the magazine also means that we won’t be sending it out to gather dust in closed travel agencies. TTG will be back in print soon – after 67 years of publishing, it is the current TTG Media team’s duty to ensure that it is.

And what a team it is. I’ve been astounded by the outstanding, relentless commitment to supporting the industry of my own comrades during this crisis. #teamttg may now be working from 30 different “offices”,  but we’re still united as one, resolute team. There is no group of people I would rather go into battle with, and it is through continuing to place their wellbeing at the heart of TTG Media, that we will find the strength to combat the effects of Covid-19 together.

We know we are fighting for our future as a business, as well as the future of the travel industry. But like so many other companies, we will also take heart from another of Sun Tzu’s mantras from The Art of War:

“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.”

All of us at TTG Media look forward to seeing you all on the other side of the battlefield.

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