DOMESTIC TRAVEL SEEN AS ‘CATALYST’ FOR REBOOTING VIRUS-HIT TRAVEL AND TOURISM INDUSTRY
People are not meant to stay confined to their homes and cities; exploring and discovering new places is part of human nature. The industry should have faith that the spirit of travel will always keep us moving and it is only a matter of time before the world opens up again.
Since people have been confined to their homes for months now, families will expect short trips to catch a break. Domestic short-hol travel will be the first to start with self-drive, road trips and staycations being the preferred holiday modes. This will be followed by domestic MICE as organizations will be looking to boost the morale of their employees.
“Domestic tourism will serve as the ‘Catalyst’ for restarting travel and tourism which has been heavily battered by the COVID-19 pandemic.” the World Travel and Tourism Council said in a report in June 2020.
In this new era, travelers will be more cautious, initially gravitating towards destinations closer to home, first locally then nationally. For instance, high net worth individuals who may have traveled frequently for business or leisure pre-COVID-19 now remain closer to home. Across the globe, including India, the Tourism Boards have also launched the ‘Locals Travelling Locally’ initiative to capitalize on domestic travelers. This will then be followed by the re-emergence of short-hol and eventually long-hol travel; logically the same principle will apply to Europe, and all over the world. Ultimately, guests are drawn to destinations that ensure a safe environment through the implementation of protocols as well as uplifting experiences where social distancing can be calmly observed.
Going forward there will be a paradigm shift in the way people travel and I believe the following factors will be the driving success in this space post-COVID-19:
1. Making travel better: travel companies should explore how to make travel better across many dimensions – Safer, More Authentic, Impressive, Holidays of a lifetime, travel with a purpose, conscious, mindful, and rejuvenating.
2. Customer-centric and agile: give more choice and control to the traveler, personalized, empower customers digitally.
A combination of the above 2 is what the travel industry should focus on to reinvent and sustain tourism.
Vish Gopalakrishnan, CEO, and Director
Footprint Holidays
Group General Manager at Jawad Sultan Group LLC | Inspiring Change and Excellence
3yVish Gopalakrishnan, good observation and analysis of the industry. Indeed, what everyone needs is confidence building measures that will go a long way in ensuring safe travels. As you rightly put it, travelling has always been a forte of humanity and cannot be bottled up for long. Here's hoping that the free spirit engulfs each and everyone of us, before long.
Chairman &Managing Director at Rakaka Food Technology private Limited
3yIt is true we need to start traveling in a small way