People love to travel. It’s one of those discretionary things that most would hate to give up. Every time you scroll your social media feed, more likely than not you will see a friend or a relative posting travel updates from some exotic destination.
But the outbreak of a global pandemic in 2020 brought this industry that accounts for about 10% of world GDP to a virtual standstill. The lockdown, travel restrictions and sealed borders forced all sorts of travel to stop. The Covid-19 pandemic not only impacted the travel decision of tourists but also disrupted the lives of those associated with the industry, and affected economies and public services at large.
Simply put, the industry had never seen things so tough or unpredictable. But soon after the vaccination rates surged and herd immunity grew, the pandemic ebbed and winds of change began to blow. Travellers not only once again gained confidence to make holiday plans but they got into a travel spree to make up for the lost time, leading to tourism industry seeing early signs of revival. So much so that in most parts of the country, demand is outstripping supply.
Globally too, an estimated 54 million tourists crossed international borders in July 2021, which is the strongest results we have seen since April 2020, and this increase is being attributed to opening of borders for vaccinated travellers.
A lot of new terminologies have come into being in the post pandemic world, like ‘revenge travel’ and ‘workcation’; while the former is the desperate urge to travel after being boxed up for last two years, the latter refers to a combo of work and vacation. With some of the sectors still giving work-from-anywhere as an option to employees, the hospitality sector has shifted focus to the workcation too. Once-remote lodges, low-cost hostels and luxury villas, that prided themselves on being off the grid, are now ramping up internet speeds and offering free Wi-Fi and backup data dongles with their rooms along with adhering to safety protocols to gain their trust. Similarly, keeping up with the trends, traditional business hotels too are choosing to integrate more leisure elements into the experience. Rejuvenating wellness therapies right from spas and massages to wellness breaks like jungle safari, bird watching tours, star gazing set-up, early morning wellness sessions among others is being offered.
In the pandemic years, people did a reset of their priorities, saved and built a bucket list of things they want to do which is fuelling travel like never before. Currently, the yearning for a better work-life balance growing among Indians in our time-crunched environment is at the heart of this growing trend.
Whether it is bespoke adventures, solo or escorted tours, young Indians especially, are travelling far more than they have ever before. While they will continue to be quintessential value seekers, their passions like adventure or cuisine play a critical factor.
However, tourism is not just about holidays and new adventures, staycation has become a sanity-restorer, allowing harried families and those near burnout to check into hotels in their own city, or take advantage of the slashed rates at luxury hotels. An uptick in family travel can also be witnessed.
Another contributing factor is that the explosion of India’s middle-classes and the spurt in their disposable incomes are encouraging more people to travel considerably across India and abroad. With the rise in the number of domestic travellers, tourism departments of various states are also opening up little-known scenic villages and towns to visitors. According to a recent survey, 61 percent of Indians would prefer to go local and explore domestic destinations, while 25 percent would like to try international as well as domestic trips in 2022.
In the foreseeable future, slow, mindful travel will become the default. That’s a big change for people prone to checking off boxes in a blur of packed itineraries that cover multiple countries in less than a week. Keeping that in mind, players in tourism, big and small, will continue to make big strides to create more equitable, sustainable, and all-embracing ways to explore our world—all while taking much greater care of the planet, and the local communities that we love to visit.
