Keywords

1 Introduction

The pandemic has been a huge influence on people’s routines and different sectors from the health one to other vital segments like economies, societies, and political difficulties. The pandemic reshapes the communities’ social behaviours worldwide [1]. The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) estimated that the global eco- nomic impact on the tourism industry would be more than 5 times larger than the impact of the 2008 global financial crisis [2].

In particular, the tourism and travel industry will undergo a significant change in the coming years due to the change in the behaviour of individuals and societies due to Covid-19 [3, 4]. Even after the end of the pandemic crisis, when COVID-19 will become endemic [5], the consequences of this period will challenge the way people travel. Today, while the sector is gradually recovering, there is an urgent need for renewal. The most urgent imperative for all companies in the travel chain is to restore production capacity; in fact, many temporary workers laid off during the pan demic caused labour shortages [6] with a direct impact on travellers resulting in strikes and air delays [7]. This implies a renewal tourism offer, which will have to re-adapt to meet the various challenges that today's society is actively facing. In addition to the pandemic and the already ongoing climate crisis in Europe, the war in Ukraine poses significant new challenges for tourism businesses [8]. The conflict could add uncertainty to prospects and investments. Therefore, the tourism sector, like others, is destined to face a period of uncertainty that opens the door to new challenges [9].

From a technological point of view, the advent of Covid has prompted many companies and industries to move towards digitisation, in order to make internal and sales processes easier and faster. This is the case in the commercial sectors, with a restructuring of supply chain processes, as well as in the medical and manufacturing sectors, which have renewed the advancement of procedures with a technological approach. This innovation also involved the tourism industry, introducing virtual travel concepts and advanced digital experiences with virtual and augmented reality [10].

This paper shows a hybrid design process in which the educational and professional dimensions coexist. The aim is to investigate new scenarios in order to design a new user experience for the travel sector, reimagining the role of travel stakeholders in the digital post-pandemic age.

The research implemented a consolidated design process in which phases of research/exploration, analysis, synthesis and realisation are repeated iteratively [11, 12]. The project highlighted the ability of design to find answers in times of crisis [13], demonstrating how the most creative societies can respond in periods of re- definition by intercepting changes and transforming challenges into opportunities [14]. Periods of uncertainty or post-normal periods [15] are par excellence the most stimulating periods for designers; design, due to its proactive nature, can manage problems that are, by definition, complex, multifaceted and systemic [16].

2 The Design Process

2.1 Methodology

This paper presents our design research approach, resulting from the adaptation of the Design Thinking model into a divergent/convergent exploratory process that led us to the final output (Fig. 1). Various stakeholders from the design and tourism sectors were involved in the process, which enriched the research and made it possible to reshape the process and adapt it to a hybrid dimension necessary to implement the project's educational piloting. The research process does not end with a univocal design output, but the result is the identification of six scenarios that, in turn, can define different design solutions. Thus, the process does not end with a purely convergent phase but diverges and opens up new possibilities, posing questions to inspire design in the tourism sector and responding to new behavioural needs.

The design process combines educational and professional dimensions through the collaboration between the Experience Design Academy (XDA) - a POLI.design, Politecnico di Milano Centre dedicated to User Experience (UX) for training, coaching and applied research for companies and institutions - and a renowned Italian B2B travel experience intermediary looking for new ideas to face future market challenges. A major advantage of this combined method is that the project involved a large research group, including the XDA team and other professionals and students. The project was enriched by a didactic context in which the brief was deepened and explored by six groups of students, which made it possible to accelerate doubling the expected output by acting simultaneously on several fronts.

The project's client is a tour operator with twenty years of experience organising customised travel packages for its clients, who are small to medium-sized travel agencies spread all over Italy.

The project, as anticipated, comes at a time of deep crisis for the sector and complete inactivity of the tourism business during the various lockdowns, which has severely strained the existence of travel agencies already in crisis. For this reason, the project's client questioned its business model and considered renewing the services it was selling up to that point.

The client's initial brief aimed to rethink the role of the travel agency in a more current business perspective for the market and customers and to understand how digital services could support that change. To achieve this purpose, it was necessary to intercept user needs and opportunities provided by trends in travel sales’ changing and complex context. Thanks to the research, it was possible to highlight new design opportunities to design a new user experience for the travel sector in a post-pandemic age.

The design process alternated between phases of exploration of the theme and phases of analysis and systematisation of the results. The systematisation phases of the insights were used as a design tool but above all to facilitate dialogue with the client. Each project phase was accompanied by moments of discussion and collection of feedback, which allowed the client to be actively involved in the design process. The output of the project can be summarised as a counter-briefing, that is, a redefinition of the design brief given by the client. According to the definition of strategic design, counter-briefing consists of adjusting the briefing according to the critical and dialogical vision that designers develop when interacting with the design context and the proposal required by the organisation [17].

Fig. 1.
figure 1

Synthetic overview of the design process used for the project, with related outputs for each design phase

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The design process (Fig. 1) was structured as follows:

  • Research phase: it started from the client's brief and exploration of the travel industry and led to a deep understanding of the context and people. This phase involved two activities, Blue-Sky (or secondary) research and user research. On the one hand, Blue-Sky research enabled the creation of a theoretical framework on the topic under analysis, investigating the context, innovations and emerging trends in the travel industry. On the other hand, user research aims to understand people's needs and to intercept new behaviour.

  • Finding and Output Analysis: this phase involves developing two outputs, respectively from the Blue-Sky research the definition of new paradigms, and from the user research the definition of personas. The new paradigms emerged from studies on global market trends and represent a macro-level exploration that inevitably influences the travel industry worldwide; the personas, or user profiles, summarise the behavioural patterns of users and allow a precise analysis of people's needs in a specific context, which is the Italian tourism market.

  • Scenarios Definition: development of six scenarios and project areas summarising evolutionary models for the future of travel, confirming the trends emerging from the research and intercepting new stakeholders.

  • Final Output: reframing the Customer Brief as the final output, creating

  • new paradigms and visions of the travel agency.

The following paragraph describes the process and its output.

3 Research Phase

3.1 Blue-Sky Research and Definition of New Paradigms

Blue-Sky's research explored the topic by identifying three spaces for change, defined as areas that travel service providers, hospitality groups and other organisations dependent on the tourism industry need to take into account to address changes in consumer behaviour and to be prepared for the post-pandemic market [18].

These three change drivers are the boom in digital development triggered by the pandemic, the newfound desire to seek personal well-being, and an increasing focus on environmental sustainability. These drivers lead to new paradigms and different trends that will change people's behaviour and impact the tourism industry in the post-pandemic period.

New words are rapidly entering the vocabulary of transport and travel and companies need to adapt quickly to these words. In this research, some of these words have been analysed that highlight the development of a trend and inspire new design scenarios.

Boosting Digital Development

While digitisation has been an emerging trend within the Travel & Tourism sector in recent years, stay-at-home restrictions have led to digital acceleration with more consumers becoming adept at using technological solutions in everyday life [19, 20].

On the one hand, the rise of digitisation has led to a new dimension of work; the mass adoption of remote working during the pandemic has radically changed the expectations of many workers regarding geographical flexibility. The concept of holidays has taken on a new meaning in this era, as consumers create working holidays and stay longer in destinations. The so-called digital nomads are emerging; being able to work wherever there is an internet connection, the business trip becomes a long-term stay in a place that makes the worker feel comfortable.

People want to escape their cities and homes to find refuge in other remote locations, integrating travel experiences with the typical working day. Travel providers should seek to offer services and experiences that appeal to these new digital nomads, combining work needs with emotional and social needs, where the boundary between work and pleasure is increasingly blurred.

The trend of so-called “Bleisure” travel (combination of the words business and leisure) or “Workation” (work plus vacation) is gaining momentum, allowing more travellers to integrate their business needs and experience new destinations and local activities [21].

On the other hand, the digital world has given users quick access and greater autonomy; today, automation allows anyone to plan their holidays independently and according to their wishes. At the same time, the sharing of experiences through digital communication channels and new essential stakeholders, such as influencers, are increasingly relevant in the digitisation process [22]. Social media will influence future travel behaviour. Social media, in addition to being tools of knowledge as consumers produce more and more content, share holiday memories and leave com-ments on their travel experiences, have also become an essential element of communication to be updated quickly on the health crisis.

Approaching New Sustainable Habits

From the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to the Paris Agreement and the UNFCCC's Climate Neutral Now initiative, it is clear that sustainability has become an even more important priority with the pandemic.

The restrictions due to the pandemic have forced travellers to seek closer destinations and low-impact experiences, drastically reducing their carbon footprint, primarily due to the reduction in business travel, which, as seen above, is changing in this new unstable scenario. Business travellers only travel when necessary and for longer periods.

In Europe, domestic tourism is expected to grow more than international tourism in the coming years. Although the full recovery of the global economy will require the return of international travel so that domestic travel may slow down proportionally, the trend towards rediscovering domestic destinations remains long-term. Mainly due to people's rediscovered desire for a less adventurous and more relaxed travel dimension.

The trend towards sustainability will remain long-term, with more and more consumers looking for sustainable travelling solutions, philanthropism and rural tourism. In the future, many consumers will look for options supporting carbon-conscious travel experiences.

Moreover, after isolation, travellers prefer less crowded destinations, increasing their interest in exploring destinations in close contact with nature. This has contributed to bringing many travellers closer to sustainability and choosing “Slow Travel”. The “Slow Travel” movement, defined by domestic or long-duration travel that allows tourists to have a deep and authentic cultural experience, is quietly shifting consumers towards more sustainable practices [23].

Rediscovering Personal Well-Being

During the pandemic, there was a global negative effect on mental health, with individuals struggling with anxiety and isolation and general malaise [24]. Travel also became a significant source of uncertainty in this scenario. However, this new context has increased the appreciation of the value of mental health, resulting in a broader understanding of wellness and increased consumer interest in improving good mental health and general well-being, including in travel planning [25, 26]. This welfare-seeking dimension ties in with the trend of slow travel and the renewed tendency of people to prefer in the post-pandemic period to holiday in their own country or not too far from home (the so-called “staycation” trend) [18, 27], rather than travelling elsewhere due to the restrictions and risks associated with long-distance travel [27]. With the extension of travel restrictions until 2021 and increased wellness awareness, the desire to spend more time and money on self-care and the quest for a healthier lifestyle is likely to impact travel as well. For travel providers, this translates into the possibility of offering more personalised wellness experiences, from specific products to entire retreats. Looking ahead, domestic holidays are likely to continue to be in demand and even increase in countries where exit restrictions are prolonged, especially in the search for personal and peaceful experiences. According to YouGov's International Travel & Tourism about half of the global travellers’ plan to travel for a domestic holiday in the next 12 months.

Furthermore, the uncertain and fast-changing travel restrictions have caused a change in travellers’ booking habits. Travellers are less willing to book trips months in advance and are increasingly looking for flexible bookings.

This preliminary research informed the design team about the state of the art and the possible evolution of travellers’ behaviour in a long-term perspective, establish ing a solid basis of shared knowledge on the analysis topic.

3.2 User Research and Personas

Blue-Sky's research explored the topic by identifying three spaces for change, defined as areas that travel service providers, hospitality groups and other organisations dependent on the tourism industry need to take into account to address changes in consumer behaviour.

Methods

The user research was conducted with the collaboration of OBLO, a service design studio specialising in user research and human behaviour analysis, which supports organisations in researching and systematising information. Oblo conducted quali tative research with in-depth interviews of approximately 90 min with 13 people to understand the needs and desires of travellers and professionals of travel organi sations.

The interviewees, of various age groups and genders, were recruited to cover the different actors involved in the travel industry and to obtain a comprehensive view encompassing the experiences of travellers and organisers. Regarding the latter, it is necessary to distinguish between travel designers and travel agents. The term travel designer refers to the professional who plans the trip and architects the expe rience, while the travel agent is a professional who is in charge of sales and not just travel planning. Today, the two figures are often complementary, but the research kept the two distinct. The research sample includes eight travellers, two travel designers, and three travel agents.

During the research, the focus on travel experts and operators made it possible to analyse how their role has evolved concerning the digital channels they now use to interact with customers. The research aimed to understand the role of the travel agency and the type of support it can offer travellers concerning all phases of the trip, not just the planning phase. With regard to travellers, the aim was to understand people's behaviour when planning their trips, in particular, to investigate: a) how people choose destinations b) how they select activities and experiences in their chosen location c) how they book their travel, accommodation and experiences.

Output

The research results helped better understand the different types of travellers regarding needs, expectations and tools used.

Concerning the choice of destination, the research provided evidence that people have an emotional connection with the destination they choose. The destination choice results from an intimate and non-linear path that starts from random cues or inspiring images, which may be stored in the memory or a personal digital bucket list. Images, as well as videos, have the role of inspiring and helping users to impersonate themselves in a specific situation easily. Today, users are influenced not only by the stories of their friends but, above all, by social networks, which play an essential role in inspiring and supporting the creation of their ideal trip.

Today's users are increasingly aware and have access to unlimited sources of information that make them experts and consequently interested in actively taking part in the planning of their journey. Therefore, the travel agent must be continuously informed and updated to meet users’ needs. Experienced travellers assess the agen cy's competence by how the first requests (travel brief) are handled and how their needs, even unexpressed ones, are translated into itineraries.

In this scenario, the role of travel experts is to help realise this specific dream by enriching the experience with their knowledge. Therefore, when planning what to do once they arrive at their destination, what matters to travellers is to live a unique experience that will make their dream unforgettable. Rather than suggesting where to go or guiding the choice of a destination, the travel expert must follow people's dreams and interpret their requests by acting as a local insider who knows the particularities of the place to make the experience unique, memorable and safe.

Safety is an essential parameter in the experience; travellers rely on agencies to guarantee quality to have a seamless experience that includes all travel-related services and provides them with targeted assistance when needed. If assistance and support are lacking, the experience with the agency is deemed negative. The guarantee of having access to personalised and proactive service at all stages of the trip makes the difference between booking a trip on one's own or through an agency. Organised travel with an agency guarantees access to an experience that could not otherwise have, so the customer's perception must be one of hyper-personalisation of the service.

The role of the travel agent, which today is mainly concentrated in the initial phase,

i.e. planning and booking the experience, and only partially enters the “during” travel phase to provide support if requested, should instead be more transversal and continuous. The agency will continue to play an important role in travel planning. However, it is also necessary to consider the “during” and the “after” travel phases. In the “during phase”, there is a lack of services that help travellers to communicate with the agency once at the travel site when analogue or digital services could play a significant role and facilitate communication and trust with the agency. In contrast, in the “after phase”, the agency is absent when collecting user feedback that could be providential for improving future service experiences.

The role of the travel agent has to adapt to different customer types and radically changing needs. On the one hand, the agency will play the role of facilitator for travellers who rely entirely on agents’ knowledge and for whom organised travel is tantamount to buying a complete ‘package’ of everything they need. On the other hand, the agency will play the role of a travel companion for travellers who are more participative and open and see the agency as a platform for achieving experiences that are more difficult to organise.

In this context, the research highlighted the role of the agency divided into four different profiles:

  • A Planner; a figure who appears in the “before phase”, supporting the choice of the itinerary and planning all the moments of the trip;

  • An Insider; connects the user with local guides and prepares and admin-

  • isters the travel experience with practical advice and suggestions;

  • A Buddy: books accommodations, trips, and experiences, ensuring the traveller does not have to think about anything and has a highly personalised experience;

  • A Guard: provides assistance and security during travel, pre-departure documents, and accompaniment in case of unforeseen events, a constant presence for the traveller.

As regards travellers, four profiles emerged in the course of the research, differentiated by varying levels of travel experience and involvement and capacity in the planning phase. The identified user profiles made it possible to highlight design questions helpful in inspiring and defining scenarios in the next phase.

These profiles are:

  • World Explorer: an experienced traveller with excellent organisational skills is a profile that relies on the agency for access to remote places and extreme and exceptional experiences and wants to escape from all the overly generic and touristy activities. What interests this profile most is the authenticity of the experience and on-site activities. The design question arising from this profile is, how can the agency guarantee safety and provide access to a unique travel experience to remote places on earth by offering solutions that cannot be implemented by other means?

  • Careful planner: for this user profile the keyword is the organisation, they are not expert travellers, but they like to plan everything, to look for the right combination both on the budget, and to orchestrate the needs of all their fellow travellers. The agency is the expert contact to help them optimise their travel experience. How can the agency help balance the different ideas of the people in a travel group and mediate between everyone's wishes?

  • Comfort sightseers: include demanding travellers with high standards and clear, specific ideas. The trip is a luxury to be shown to their friends. They are little involved in the organisation, and the agency is the assistant to whom they delegate everything and whom they can contact in case of unforeseen events or dissatisfaction. How can the agency be present and available at all times and whatever happens during the trip?

  • Support seekers: are travellers with little experience who rely on an agency and a guide to accompany them through everything. They are passive in planning the trip, almost rejecting it, and allow themselves to be guided in their entirety, and in organised travel, they seek stability and peace of mind. Can the travel agency be like an experienced friend to be trusted and guided on a trip?

This research phase was essential as the dialogue with users allowed questioning the agency's role in today's changing scenario. This change includes digital services that, instead of replacing travel agencies, could be used to strengthen the relationship with existing customers while exploring new opportunities to engage less conventional travellers. This phase helped to highlight the different possible scenarios, shifting the focus from the current travel product, which comprises the planning and offering of predominantly standard and not very customisable packages, to the need for new services involving the user, such as the provision of planning tools, connection with local experts or ongoing security support.

The output of the collaborative research has been identifying strategic and meaningful scenarios where travel operators can still play a decisive role in granting a satisfactory and fulfilling experience to their customers, by enhancing their current touchpoints, tools and skills or by really becoming something else.

The scenarios (Fig. 2) focus on the travellers’ point of view to reinforce the idea of a customer-focused concept that responds first and foremost to users’ needs. However, both travel agencies and the B2B travel intermediary are considered early in the design process as crucial stakeholders to enable the service's functionality and verify its feasibility properly. Therefore, the following scenarios describe a story from the customer's point of view and are named after the user archetype that was identified. At the same time, a reflection was made on the impact of these future visions on other stakeholders.

Indeed, the scenarios presented can often coexist in a broader project framework.

4 Scenario Definition

The output of the collaborative research has been identifying strategic and meaningful scenarios where travel operators can still play a decisive role in granting a satisfactory and fulfilling experience to their customers, by enhancing their current touchpoints, tools and skills or by really becoming something else (Fig. 2).

The scenarios focus on the travellers’ point of view to reinforce the idea of a customer-focused concept that responds first and foremost to users’ needs. However, both travel agencies and the B2B travel intermediary are considered early in the design process as crucial stakeholders to enable the service's functionality and verify its feasibility properly. Therefore, the following scenarios describe a story from the customer's point of view and are named after the user archetype that was identified. At the same time, a reflection was made on the impact of these future visions on other stakeholders. Indeed, the scenarios presented can often coexist in a broader project framework.

Fig. 2.
figure 2

Outline of the collaborative research result. It shows the report of the six strategic and significant scenarios in which travel operators can play a decisive role in ensuring a satisfying and fulfilling experience for their customers, either by improving their current touchpoints, tools and skills or by really becoming something else.

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4.1 Community Driven Influencer

Until a few years ago, the travel agency used to interface primarily with the travel ler, who was interested in a specific destination. The relationship between the agency and the traveller has evolved over time, as the traveller no longer interfaces solely with the travel agent but is influenced by social channels and the experiences of those around him.

The first scenario that emerged explores the new figure of the travel influencer in order to encourage interaction with the community and promote a participatory culture with a view to an extended community.

Through a gaming system, the agency becomes the fulcrum of active co-design with the end user (travel follower), who increases engagement with the community and keeps traveller interest high.

4.2 Careful Diplomatic

The Careful Diplomatic scenario focuses mainly on the phase preceding the travel experience, namely the consultancy service to meet the needs of travel groups. The idea is to have an experience customised to the group's needs.

This scenario highlights the need to bring together many people who want to travel. The agency, in this case, takes on a different role: sharing solutions, suggesting activities and designing the perfect trip so that all participants in the trip feel included.

4.3 Flexible Wanderer

The “flexible wanderer” sees the agency as playing a central role. The aim is to create a community, where customers can take inspiration from their peers and share their experiences through travelogues.

Through the creation of travel diaries containing video content, images and text, travellers can not only have a memory of their trip but also share their experiences. The agency can then use these diaries to promote activities, excursions or stages of the trip by giving a voice to those who experienced it first-hand.

4.4 Thoughtful Buddy

Focusing on the “During” phase of the trip, this scenario sees the travel agency as proactive and constant support for the travellers. It aims to become your expert buddy giving you advice, reminders and suggestions exactly when you need them. The service offers the clients constant guidance throughout their journey to ensure the safety of the client, their information and their movements.

4.5 Proactive Stakeholder

The service provides for continuous interaction between the customer and the agency, with a continuous exchange of information, making the travel experience dynamic and safe, guaranteeing constant support from the agency. The agency, on the other hand, can take advantage of the data collected by having real-time information from the customer by feeding it into the AI system in order to prevent certain intervention logic and improve the user experience. The specific challenge of this scenario is understanding how to check the status of the journey in real time by making the user an active participant.

4.6 Virtual Digital Planner

This scenario focuses on the planner side and wants to show how a virtual customized management tool can become a support for the travel planner. Usually, the travel planner uses a tool in order to design an itinerary. In the future, the platform could help the travel planner create the material and the travel itinerary by discovering new activities and getting new suggestions from the AI.

Technological support could become support not only in the planning phase but also in the travelling one to inspire and support the client.

5 Conclusion

The pandemic has undoubtedly changed many human habits, forcing some sectors to reinvent themselves through technology and digitisation of processes.

The research pointed out that the digital world has given users quick access and greater autonomy; today, automation allows anyone to plan their holidays independently and according to their wishes. Contemporary, user interviews show that opinions in a social dimension, the sharing of experiences through digital communication channels, and new essential stakeholders, such as influencers, are increas ingly relevant in the digitisation process [22].

Therefore, the mission of tourism professionals is to automate their know-how by applying them digitally to increase the level of trust and commitment in the customer relationship. In this new perspective, travel operators no longer have only an operational role but aim to make the customer experience immersive, personalised, responsive and emotional.

The illustrated process also shows the potential of including an educational dimension in a design project commissioned by external companies. It provides a more holistic approach to the brief with the opportunity to explore different but complementary scenarios in greater depth, enhancing the user's travel experience from booking to collecting travel memories [28], from selling standard packages to a ser- vice that offers user tailored-made experiences [29].

The recognized role of design is to drive this technology-driven change by identifying strategic and meaningful scenarios where travel operators can still play a decisive role for granting a satisfactory and fulfilling experience to their customers, by enhancing their current touchpoints, tools and skills or by really becoming some thing else.

The paper highlighted how new and previously unexplored project opportunities could emerge by thinking strategically and having the opportunity to redefine the brief through the educational dimension. The research prompted the client to revise its business model and to integrate the needs of the new types of users that emerged from the research. Optimising the role of agencies is making them more expert and valuable in handling user requests by working on the support of travellers. On the other hand, working on the end users by providing them with tools creates memories and supports their travel experience.

The paper and the design action demonstrate that in a context where research is often undervalued in favour of processes such as sprint execution [30] that drastically reduce the time dedicated to this phase, an articulated process allows for a broad view of the problem and proposes unexpected design directions. Therefore, this is evidence that research is not overrated, but doing it brings many advantages [31]. The research presented in this paper has also exploited the university and educational context by highlighting how it is increasingly important and strategic for companies to invest in research.

Finally, it must be considered that the proposed design solutions are constantly evolving and that the field of tourism could take unexpected directions as many of the conditions presented in the paper will find a different balance in the near future, such as digital nomadism, which is already changing direction compared to the period after the first lockdown. The process, therefore, has value because it is iterative and continuous.