The safest destinations, of which very few exist, are those where no one has to think about staying safe – safe from terrorism, safe from economic fraud, safe from harassment, and safe from accidents.
In most other places, it takes a proactive approach on the part of all travel trade stakeholders – the government, the private sector and the tourists – to stay safe.
For the State it means providing infrastructure in the form of tourism police, watch towers and readily available information. For instance, tourists to Kochi now can benefit from having a police station dedicated to them.
For the private sector it means anticipating guest needs and acting on them. At beach destinations, that translates into posting security personnel at entrances of private, secluded beaches so popular with the tourists.
A hotelier recounted how in a Tier III town, where the local bars were only frequented by men and quite unfriendly to women as an unsaid rule, they hiked up their price of rum – the one drink very popular in those bars. This was their proactive way of ensuring that their resident guests, mostly outstation mid-management men and women, would not feel like the odd ones out at the in-house bar.
The traveller plays no less part in this. As responsible travel becomes a buzzword, tourists the world over are encouraged to think of the context in which they are holidaying. No longer do people want to stay in cocoons of luxury looking the other way when reality gets too harsh. Travel agents need to capitalise on this thought to equip their tourists with information on what not to do at a certain destination.
In a world where terrorist attacks are no deterrent to travel, alerts from their home countries serve to arm tourists. In Goa, an information booklet in multiple languages now informs guests that they should wear helmets on two wheelers and be wary of offers of modelling. A responsible tourist is a partner in her own safety.
In another context, caution is translating into economic decisions as a buoyant economy spurs the industry on. Industry leaders from the travel trade – ticketing giants, hoteliers, tour operators, recruiters, researchers, car hiring majors – echo each other when they speak of cautious optimism as a strategy.
As we begin our journey with the inaugural issue of Travel Gazette India, here’s wishing everyone a safe journey into the year and to destination India.
Safety is not a luxury
(NULL)
A joint effort by all stakeholders is needed
The safest destinations, of which very few exist, are those where no one has to think about staying safe – safe from terrorism, safe from economic fraud, safe from harassment, and safe from accidents.
In most other places, it takes a proactive approach on the part of all travel trade stakeholders – the government, the private sector and the tourists – to stay safe.
For the State it means providing infrastructure in the form of tourism police, watch towers and readily available information. For instance, tourists to Kochi now can benefit from having a police station dedicated to them.
For the private sector it means anticipating guest needs and acting on them. At beach destinations, that translates into posting security personnel at entrances of private, secluded beaches so popular with the tourists.
A hotelier recounted how in a Tier III town, where the local bars were only frequented by men and quite unfriendly to women as an unsaid rule, they hiked up their price of rum – the one drink very popular in those bars. This was their proactive way of ensuring that their resident guests, mostly outstation mid-management men and women, would not feel like the odd ones out at the in-house bar.
The traveller plays no less part in this. As responsible travel becomes a buzzword, tourists the world over are encouraged to think of the context in which they are holidaying. No longer do people want to stay in cocoons of luxury looking the other way when reality gets too harsh. Travel agents need to capitalise on this thought to equip their tourists with information on what not to do at a certain destination.
In a world where terrorist attacks are no deterrent to travel, alerts from their home countries serve to arm tourists. In Goa, an information booklet in multiple languages now informs guests that they should wear helmets on two wheelers and be wary of offers of modelling. A responsible tourist is a partner in her own safety.
In another context, caution is translating into economic decisions as a buoyant economy spurs the industry on. Industry leaders from the travel trade – ticketing giants, hoteliers, tour operators, recruiters, researchers, car hiring majors – echo each other when they speak of cautious optimism as a strategy.
As we begin our journey with the inaugural issue of Travel Gazette India, here’s wishing everyone a safe journey into the year and to destination India.
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