OKAY we hit another bump on the road to a fragile recovery but that’s no reason to despair. If there’s one thing this pandemic has taught us, it’s not to take anything for granted but to take each punch as it lands and get up again. So here’s Part 2 of looking back at 2021 (oh, what a year) and forward to 2022 (please, let it be good). And from the answers here as well, it seems everyone’s definitely more optimistic about the year ahead.
Louise Daley, CEO, Future Now Capital
Q: Looking back – one word to describe 2021
Contradiction (it was fast but it was slow, joyful but sad, open but closed, long but short, hopeful but despairing, generous but selfish)
Q: One word you wish would disappear from the vocabulary
Variant
Q: One word you wish would be used more
Open (Borders, minds, hearts)
Q: Looking forward – one word to describe 2022
Emerging
Q: Looking at your data, how would you describe the start of 2022?
Full of opportunity with the need to navigate landmines
Q: What is your gut, data and guesswork telling you about how the rest of 2022 will pan out?
Same as the start of the year, just with more data
Q: What’s the one key thing you’re doing to prepare your business for whatever lies ahead?
Running the business like a startup – meet regularly, stay lean and agile
Q: What is the biggest opportunity for your business in 2022?
Continued expansion and implementation of the use of technology
Q: What part of your job would you like to do more of in 2022?
Deals
Q: On a scale of 1-10, rate how optimistic (10 being most) how you feel about 2022?
8 (Those elusive two points simply reflect human frailty and selfishness)
Q: What’s the one word you’d like to embrace for 2022?
Unity
Q: What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or watched that you might not have otherwise?
Front row seat to my nieces and nephews as they navigate the world – better than any soap opera or documentary
Deep Kalra, Founder & Group Executive Chairman, MakeMyTrip
Q: Looking back – one word to describe 2021
Tough
Q: One word you wish would disappear from the vocabulary
Covid
Q: One word you wish would be used more
Wish-you-were-here
Q: Looking forward – one word to describe 2022
Hopeful
Q: Looking at your data, how would you describe the start of 2022?
Optimistic
Q: What is your gut, data and guesswork telling you about how the rest of 2022 will pan out?
J-Curve
Q: What’s the one key thing you’re doing to prepare your business for whatever lies ahead?
Improve product all round and self-support
Q: What is the biggest opportunity for your business in 2022?
Outbound travel
Q: What part of your job would you like to do more of in 2022?
Spend more time with product and UX
Q: On a scale of 1-10, rate how optimistic (10 being most) how you feel about 2022?
8
Q: What’s the one word you’d like to embrace for 2022?
Endemic
Q: What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or watched that you might not have otherwise?
Heard a ton of books on Audible – 3x my normal
Chan Chee Chong, CEO & Co-founder, GlobalTix
Q: Looking back – one word to describe 2021
Anticipation or Hanging
Q: One word you wish would disappear from the vocabulary
Covid
Q: One word you wish would be used more
Fearless
Q: Looking forward – one word to describe 2022
Growth
Q: Looking at your data, how would you describe the start of 2022?
It’s not going to be an explosion but we are definitely going to see recovery
Q: What is your gut, data and guesswork telling you about how the rest of 2022 will pan out?
Over the last two years, I have learnt not to predict too much. If I need to ask my gut again, it will probably be saying that real recovery will begin second half of 2022 with decent numbers in Nov-Dec 2022.
Q: What’s the one key thing you’re doing to prepare your business for whatever lies ahead?
Constant relooking at the plans and tweaking it according to the situation. Be quick and fast in responding to the market. That is the only constant.
Q: What is the biggest opportunity for your business in 2022?
Digitalisation of the tours and activities sectors.
Q: What part of your job would you like to do more of in 2022?
Focus on meeting my regional team more regularly and growing the presence in those countries.
Q: On a scale of 1-10, rate how optimistic (10 being most) how you feel about 2022?
7
Q: What’s the one word you’d like to embrace for 2022?
Growth
Q: What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or watched that you might not have otherwise?
Octopus Teacher.
Mieke De Schepper, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Amadeus IT Group
Q: Looking back – one word to describe 2021.
Exhausting
Q: One word you wish would disappear from the vocabulary.
Restrictions
Q: One word you wish would be used more.
Partnership
Q: Looking forward – one word to describe 2022
Recovery
Q: Looking at your data, how would you describe the start of 2022?
Unpredictable
Q: What is your gut, data and guesswork telling you about how the rest of 2022 will pan out?
Ups and downs
Q: What’s the one key thing you’re doing to prepare your business for whatever lies ahead?
Take a good rest before we start,
Q: What is the biggest opportunity for your business in 2022?
Digital transformation of the Travel industry
Q: What part of your job would you like to do more of in 2022?
See customers
Q: On a scale of 1-10, rate how optimistic (10 being most) how you feel about 2022?
8
Q: What’s the one word you’d like to embrace for 2022?
Optimistic
Q: What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or watched that you might not have otherwise?
Bridgerton
Min Yoon, CEO, Tidesquare
Q: Looking back – one word to describe 2021
Unpredictable
Q: One word you wish would disappear from the vocabulary
Virus!
Q: One word you wish would be used more
Vaccinated
Q: Looking forward – one word to describe 2022
Reboot
Q: Looking at your data, how would you describe the start of 2022?
Slow but hopeful
Q: What is your gut, data and guesswork telling you about how the rest of 2022 will pan out?
It seems corporate travel could recover in 2022. In case of leisure, it’s still domestic travel, slowly recovering but could be very bumpy related to new spike or new variants.
Q: What’s the one key thing you’re doing to prepare your business for whatever lies ahead?
Develop flexible systems embracing all the attributes of travel
Q: What is the biggest opportunity for your business in 2022?
Travel distribution tech such as NDC is evolving, the pandemic gave us the chance to prepare, and we will go through it.
Q: What part of your job would you like to do more of in 2022?
Talent recruitment.
Q: On a scale of 1-10, rate how optimistic (10 being most) how you feel about 2022?
7, we are going through darkest hour now I believe.
Q: What’s the one word you’d like to embrace for 2022?
Hope
Q: What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or watched that you might not have otherwise?
Jin Yong’s martial arts novel, ‘A Hero Born’, It describes peoples’ psychology in a very simple and transparent way. It was quite helpful to understand ‘people’. I could see why Jack Ma (founder of Alibaba) admires him so much.
• Featured image credit: Getty Images
