During this ITB, a lot of focus was put on the matter of resilience and crisis, against the background of the Iran war that began just a few days before the ITB, on 28 February 2026. I was invited to attend a deep dive session on the matter of crisis communications.
I stressed the importance of having a coordinated and aligned communication strategy across all stakeholders in the tourism industry: destinations, tour operators, airlines, hoteliers, authorities and governmental bodies.
Watch a recording of the deep dive session here:
Here are my key messages:
Tourism is not a company. It’s an ecosystem.
Airlines, tour operators, hotels, destinations, transport providers, public authorities and digital platforms are interdependent. When one node falters, others absorb the impact. One failure can put an entire industry at risk.
Tourism demand is perception-driven.
Holiday-makers do not buy products. They buy trust. Risk is evaluated emotionally, not by numbers. Once doubt emerges, postponement or cancellation becomes the rational choice.
Confidence erodes faster than operational capacity collapses.
Tourism is permanently visible. Travel affects families, holidays and major life events. When crises occur, they attract disproportionate media attention and political scrutiny because they are relevant and part of our everyday life. Images travel instantly.
Tourism is global by default.
Incidents rarely remain local. Information crosses jurisdictions immediately, while regulations, cultural expectations and media logic differ from market to market. Without alignment, fragmentation begins quickly.
In this environment, operational disruption is only part of the challenge. Incoherent narratives and failure in crisis communication is the greater risk.
In a nutshell: Trust is the most critical asset in tourism. Its protection is one of the industry’s most important duties.