As a former political reporter, I have spent much of my career advocating for transparency.
And if there is one thing the pandemic has made clear, it is how important that principle is in the travel industry, as well.
That was underscored this past week when I got an email from some guests who are booked on a sailing next week with American Cruise Lines (ACL), who said they were blindsided by a temporary policy change requiring all guests on its initial sailings to be vaccinated.
While the company says it informed all guests of the change, the family of six said they never received the communication and only found out when talking to a company representative about pre-travel testing requirements. The change still hasn't been posted to the company's website, which to ACL's credit otherwise provides in-depth explanation of its new operating protocols, including that it strongly encourages all guests to be vaccinated.
The hesitation appears to stem from concern by the company that publicizing the change, which it said only applies to sailings through April 10, would be misconstrued as a permanent vaccine requirement, similar to that announced by its main competitor, American Queen Steamboat Co.
After a year of constantly changing restart dates and evolving health and safety mandates, the concern is understandable. And vaccine mandates, like those for masks, are controversial in some circles and potentially offputting. But companies have had to take a lot of unpopular actions to survive the pandemic. And if there is one thing we've all learned this past year it is that unpopular rules are necessary, and they can change quickly.
But we've also learned that even when these changes cause disappointing delays and cancellations, travelers and travel advisors are understanding and forgiving -- if those changes are communicated quickly and transparently.
Indeed, of all the email I have received over the past year from travelers and advisors that deal with complaints about changes, few have been about those specific policies and rules. Rather, the bulk dealt with frustration about not being able to get information and updates.
So kudos to all those river lines and companies who have been proactive in keeping their updates front and center. Because as in politics, transparency in business builds trust. And I can't think of a time when trust in customer relationships has ever been more important.