As much as travel is remembered for the spectacular events and once-in-a-lifetime experiences offered, any conversation looking back on a career in the industry will be pockmarked by crises navigated.

For every "I once stayed in this amazing six-star place", there’s a "do you remember when [insert name of volcanic eruption / extreme weather event / conflict / international disaster / business collapse] happened?".

When "it" inevitably hits the fan, days of effort are put in to ensure every stakeholder in the transaction is treated fairly and – most importantly – the customer is looked after.

That you must be prepared for anything in travel is an understatement. Travel marketers and agents who are responsible for marketing are as subject to that truism as everyone else.

Many is the lovingly crafted marketing campaign or agency sales promotion that has had to be shelved at short notice because of an unforeseen crisis – Houthi rebels taking pot shots at shipping in the Bab Al Mandab strait, scuttling Red Sea cruises until 2025, being just the latest.

Marketers and agents must learn early on to build adaptability and flex into any plan they have to promote a destination or itinerary. But in the absence of a crystal ball, how can you prepare for the unknown?

Don’t exist in a bubble

The nature of travel means it can’t exist in a bubble. An event thousands of miles away that doesn’t even make the news here can still impact your brand’s operations and sales, and disrupt your customers’ holiday.

Technology makes it easier for marketers and agents to keep abreast of news in key destinations, and everyone in travel’s delicate supply chain needs to maintain open, two-way communications to keep on top of developments in-resort.

Agents in particular must be able to speak to their suppliers quickly and easily – it’s the latter’s operations teams who will be the first to know when things are kicking off, and can flag that a campaign might need a rethink or a destination be taken off sale and alternatives offered.

They’ll also be attuned to the advice of the FCDO, which remains – for better or worse – the ultimate arbiter of a destination’s safety.

Know who’s responsible, and for what

Crises can result from a slow build-up of events, or drop from the clear blue sky. But in any scenario, everyone needs to know their responsibility.

Who knows it’s their job to cancel any scheduled social media posts or emails relevant to the destination or partner brand that’s involved?

Whose task is it to ensure your shop’s window displays or pop-ups are removed? Who’s responsible for making sure that banner advert campaign is taken down?

Build good relationships

Printers, media owners, specialist support agencies, and co-op partners are a few of the entities from which a marketer and agent may need some flexibility at short notice when a crisis strikes.

Owners of those relationships need to have invested time and built trust to ensure rapid action can be taken if need be, ideally without penalties.

Got some direct marketing planned for a destination that is now in the eye of a geopolitical storm? A well maintained and mutually trusting customer-supplier relationship will ease negotiations with the printer about cancelling it, or at the very least flex the artwork deadline so you can change its focus.

Plan ahead for the better times

No crisis lasts forever, and a core skill for every travel marketer is to know how – and when – to resurrect a suspended campaign once the situation has normalised.

Is the restart of flights the first sign, or do you wait until your competitors become visible? Or is your decision driven by customer demand for the destination showing signs of returning to normal? 

Carefully consider your brand’s reputation before going live. Too soon and you can look foolish at best, and irresponsible at worst. Getting the timing right will help rebuild customer confidence, and deepen their long-term trust in your brand.