Goran Fabris: The Corona Crisis is a Major Problem, but it has Brought New Opportunities

The global coronavirus pandemic first surprised the world with its rapid spread and devastating consequences for the health and lives of more than half of humanity in many countries across all continents. It then halted the economy and forced citizens into drastic isolation measures. All of this has caused significant changes in the ways of working across all segments of the economy, in the lives and behaviors of citizens, and in contemplating the future for all of us.

In Jadran, activities in preparation for the tourist season proceeded under the given circumstances. The majority of employees continued to work from home wherever possible, and we moved a significant portion of our activities to online platforms and social networks, thus maintaining mutual communication, relationships with partners, state and public institutions, as well as the tourism market. All of this proved beneficial, as we, out of necessity, accelerated some processes of digitalization in our business. We will continue in this manner as it has proven to be more efficient in many segments of business – we are faster, there is no paperwork, stamps and many other things that previously slowed us down, and costs are lower. If only the state administration would continue in this way, we would all be more efficient together. It is true that this will very quickly lead to surpluses of people in certain phases of business, but as companies must adapt to new conditions, employees will also find new jobs within the company.

Those who adapt more quickly to the new circumstances will have greater chances of retaining their existing market space or gaining new market share. The corona crisis is indeed a major problem, but it has also brought new opportunities in the new market redistribution. Along with all the operational adjustments to the new situation, it is clear that there will be a significant shift in thinking related to both short-term and long-term development guidelines.

Jadran enters the season with significantly larger and more modern capacities, which is the result of a previously initiated investment cycle, as well as a growth strategy based on leasing new capacities. The time ahead will be a period of financial consolidation, which will inevitably, at least temporarily, slow down existing development plans.

The forced isolation of citizens, travel bans between certain parts of the country, and between states have completely paralyzed the tourism industry. Now that travel has slowly begun again, precautionary measures such as maintaining physical distance among people in public spaces remain, which significantly affects previous behaviors in tourism.

It is certain that for the foreseeable future, nothing will be the same, there will be no mass gatherings in hotels, which calls into question congress tourism, capacities in restaurants and cafes have been reduced, which inevitably decreases the financial potential of businesses, and on beaches, distancing will need to be ensured, knowing that overcrowding on beaches was one of our biggest problems until yesterday.

Personally, I believe that we will solve many unknowns on the go and find solutions acceptable to everyone. I rely on the saying ‘Never has it been that there was no way’, and I believe that over time, much will return to normal even before a vaccine is found. When we talk about this year’s season, it is expected that guests will prefer accommodations that provide a certain level of individual safety or ‘social distance’, which means that camps, holiday villas, and apartments will be in a more favorable position, while hotel accommodations will need to find ways to gain guests’ trust for some time.

In Jadran, we believe that the right path is a personalized approach to the guest with tailored service that recognizes their desire to ‘stand out’ from the surroundings. Our facilities on the Crikvenica-Vinodol and Makarska rivieras, as well as in Istria, will try to attract this year’s guests in this way. We are aware that it is the individual guest who can, at least to some extent, save the season, as there are still no group travels. For this reason, we have moved our sales-marketing and communication activities to social networks and other platforms to reach our guests from Croatia and abroad.

For now, we must admit that the recently opened Hotel Esplanada in Crikvenica is increasingly confirming the correctness of our orientation day by day.

What will the world look like after corona? I would most like to answer ‘Live and see’. I am convinced that many things will return to normal over time, although I agree with the assessments of those analysts who say that the corona pandemic will change the world significantly and in many segments of life and work.

The term ‘new normal’ has already become established in public discourse, which now categorizes some new standards of behavior in public communication, in the business world, and in social relations into that ‘new normal’. People will, at least for some time, avoid mass gatherings whenever there is the slightest chance of threats to their health, they will be more cautious in social contacts, and they will more carefully evaluate the level of hygiene standards in public spaces…

Many industries have already adapted, and in the future, they will do so even more intensively and quickly, to the new conditions of work and life for their employees, but also in relation to consumers of their goods or users of services…

For us in tourism, it is extremely important what will happen with passenger transport. Regardless of the often-repeated thesis that Croatia’s advantage is the proximity of emitting markets and accessibility to car guests, I am convinced that for us, as well as for global tourism, the most significant issue is resolving matters related to passenger transport. It is indisputable that Croatian tourism has the chance to attract a large number of individual motorized guests from neighboring countries, as well as from Western and Central Europe. We are well connected in terms of transport, we have coped well with the corona epidemic, we have plenty of small accommodation capacities and other tourist challenges and attractions that could allow us to attract many guests outside the main season, in addition to the summer peak.

However, I am convinced that without normalizing air and bus transport, we cannot expect results like those we achieved before the pandemic. Dubrovnik, Split, Zagreb, Hvar… cannot function without air traffic, and even in our most tourist-developed region, Istria, which is geographically close to the emitting markets of Austria, Italy, and Germany, there is no pre-season and post-season without bus transport.

All in all, I am convinced of the saying ‘what does not kill you makes you stronger’, and I believe that the world will emerge from all of this different and better. I am sure that during those few months of lockdown, we all occasionally reflected on how the world we live in, as well as the way we live, can be different and better.

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