Just like many travel businesses, part of the success of Celebrity Cruises has been aiding our guests in discovering more about the history of the world around them, from the Alaskan wilds to the Roman Empire.
Commemorating history drives the travel industry. This year will be one full of anniversaries and events, including 150 years since Canada’s confederation and 100 years since the 1917 Russian Revolution. In the UK, 2017 will see the 20th anniversary of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s death.
Tourist boards, tour operators, hoteliers and cruise lines have been marketing the special events on offer around these milestones. And rightly so – the experience economy we operate within means that people will travel to experience something unique to one particular moment in time.
But history is terrifying too, and past horrors need to be remembered. Commemorative and memorial events are as important as those milestones that need celebrating. The battlefields of the Somme, the civil rights museums of the US, Poland’s former German Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz and sadly many more important sites bring history to life.
February is LGBT History Month and living here in the UK, in a diverse society, it is easy to forget how far things have come. The UK is one of the most liberal nations in the world, but it is only in the past few weeks that men who were convicted of offences relating to their sexuality have been pardoned.
Awareness months such as these ensure that past events stay in the public’s minds, which now more than ever feels incredibly important. It is only February and already 2017 is shaping up to be a year of events that will not be remembered kindly.
I’m the daughter of immigrants who risked life and limb at a very young age to seek refuge in another country as the Nazi stronghold began. It breaks my heart to see that in the modern world people escaping horrible regimes and lives of terror are being prevented from finding safety. Walls, borders and barriers are increasingly dividing the world.
But, in a world that sadly has more headlines about division than unity, it is comforting to see that people still have the urge to visit other cultures. World events affect where travellers are lured towards, and we’re already seeing a few trends.
Canada is reporting a bookings upswing from those who are turned off the US by Donald Trump and at Celebrity Cruises we are seeing great demand for Alaska cruises combined with a stay in Canada.
The travel industry has never had a more important role in encouraging the bringing together of cultures and remembering history. There is still a great desire for many to open up their understanding of other cultures. Let’s work together in 2017 to celebrate our differences.
Jo Rzymowska is managing director of Celebrity Cruises, UK, Ireland and Asia Pacific
