Today this is not an article like any other that we are presenting to you. Facing this unprecedented crisis affecting the entire tourism sector, Sylvain Recouras, founder of the Nomadays collective, has taken up his pen to address all tourism and travel professionals.
Open Letter to Tourism and Travel Professionals
"Call for awareness of the situation of inbound travel agencies, our partners at the ends of the earth"
By Sylvain Recouras, founder of the Nomadays collective
The pandemic linked to Covid-19 has plunged the entire global tourism ecosystem into an unprecedented crisis. We, tourism and travel professionals, are going through a period of massive destruction of everything we have created over the past few years.
As founder of the collective of English-speaking local travel agencies Nomadays which now brings together 60 agencies, I am regularly in contact with them and the picture is quite bleak. After going through 9 months of inactivity without help from their respective governments — neither access to debt nor source of income — the crisis continues and no one sees an end to it.
I am addressing here all tourism professionals in France and launching a call for awareness: our local partners (guides, customer advisors, logistics managers, drivers, chefs…) with whom we, travel agencies and Tour Operators work throughout the year need to be recognized and supported in this crossing of the desert.
Supporting our partners today is saving tomorrow's travel production.
Without this awareness, the post-crisis tourism that we all aspire to — more just, more equitable, more responsible — would no longer make much sense.
The local travel agency Horseback Mongolia in Mongolia, at the origin of the Nomadays project, has launched a major solidarity fundraiser to help it pay a minimum salary to its teams. In return, a trip to Mongolia and many gifts will be offered to donors in a drawing on December 31, 2020.
Nomadays actively supports this initiative which will ultimately provide financial assistance to other member agencies that have requested it. The needs are plentiful: renewal of a professional license in Benin, renewal of a visa in Indonesia, and of course ensuring salaries in Madagascar, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia…
Our collective prioritizes supporting partner agencies but we also think of all other employees of local agencies that are not part of the Nomadays network and who also need help and solidarity.
Tourism professionals, let us mobilize, support our partners and become strong relays of this solidarity stance for tomorrow's travel!
Sylvain Recouras
The Solidarity Fundraiser of the Local Agency Horseback Mongolia
The local agency Horseback Mongolia based in Mongolia does not want to sit idle in the face of this crisis. Since February, the agency has recorded no more activity. Today, to continue paying its teams and supporting its partners, colleagues and friends, it had no choice but to appeal to the solidarity of all lovers of travel and Mongolia. A solidarity fundraiser has therefore been launched on the Leetchi platform. At the end of the fundraiser, to thank all generous donors, a drawing will be held, with a trip to Mongolia for 2 people to win as well as many other prizes.