Tourism in Ireland in a Covid landscape is an interesting proposition.

A visitor’s experience in Ireland is very much punctuated by the people they meet and the Céad Míle Fáilte they experience.

In fact, many entrance polls to Ireland cite the green, rugged landscape as their reason for visiting, yet exit polls very much reference the people they met on their journey as the highlight of their trip.

Covid-19 has altered this significantly. now human interactions must be minimised or removed altogether, or at best, take place with a mask at a 2 metre distance.

Firstly, you need to really understand how your customers interact with your experience.

exhibiton.jpg Covid has halted tourism in Ireland for prolonged periods and will continue impact into future years.

Once you have forensically mapped this journey, you can then identify, for example, where you can substitute a human touchpoint with a digital one, or where improved signage will become an additional requirement, as there may no longer be a person directing your visitors at that location.

Another critical aspect will be encouraging your customers online to purchase tickets and to book a timed entry slot for your experience.

Not only will this help you better manage capacity at a time when social distancing impacts us all, it also reduces the need for physical queues at ticket desks or venue entrances.

It eliminates some human interactions at your site; it supports your visitors in their planning and gives them additional comfort that your venue is taking capacity management seriously and that they will not be standing waiting in line with lots of other visitors.

Most importantly, any substitutions you make should be aligned to and consistent with your customer service brand and culture and the storytelling aspects of your experience.

As long as a customer enjoys a seamless and cohesive visit, they will be less aware of the changes required. Who knows, you may even find yourself improving aspects of your visitor journey in the process…