International destinations have tried to keep the avid Indian traveler interested through virtual tours. (File)
With domestic flight operations resuming after lockdown restrictions across the country eased earlier this month, the travel and tourism sector, an early casualty of the Covid-19 pandemic, is attempting baby steps to recovery by rekindling the wanderlust in Indians with travel packages valid for up to 10 months.
In what may be a sign of lockdown fatigue, say travel industry experts, searches and enquiries about hotel stays have seen a surge since the resumption of commercial flights in India. To pump in revenue into the hospitality industry, travel booking portals have given customers the option of buying now and travelling at a later date.
Vipul Prakash, COO, MakeMyTrip, said, “From providing flexibility in payment options; to improving cancellation and refund policies, to offering advance booking options with added benefits — we are looking at all the options that suit the needs of travellers post pandemic… we are seeing a pent-up demand for advanced bookings with a spike in hotel searches and enquires for the coming months. The ‘Book Now, Stay Later’ option provides working capital relief to hotels while also helping travellers book a steal deal months ahead.”
Yatra.com, another travel booking portal, has issued travel packages for bookings up to March 2021 for stays in Himachal Pradesh, Andaman, Ladakh and Goa, among others. “Yatra.com has also introduced ‘Clean Pass’, an initiative to ensure that safety measures are adopted by its partner hotels, cab and bus service providers. It ensures that proper sanitisation and disinfection processes are in place,” said Sabina Chopra, Co-Founder and COO, Corporate Travel & Head, Industry Relations, Yatra.com.
According to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation's World Tourism Barometer 2020, this is by far the worst result in the historical series of international tourism since 1950 and would put an abrupt end to a 10-year period of sustained growth since the 2009 financial crisis. The report with special focus on the impact of Covid-19 in the first quarter of 2020, stated that the sentiment expressed by the UNWTO Panel of Experts pointed to a start of the recovery of international demand mostly in 2021. According to Panel Experts from around the world, domestic demand would recover faster than international demand.
While building confidence among travellers is one challenge before the travel and hospitality sector, rediscovering itself with the “new normal” safety regimen of the post novel coronavirus world is another.
Reviving revenue streams has been a priority as the industry lost peak summer business. “Even if we generate enough working capital that is able to take care of our employees’ salaries and our expenses, I am okay with it,” said Devendra Parulekar, Founder, Saffron Stays.
“People have made plans and they hope that in the last quarter of the year they will travel. But it is going to be a slow start because they still have fear in their minds,” said Vasudha Sondhi, Managing Director of Outbound Marketing that offers marketing, sales and digital solutions to international and domestic destinations and hotel chains. She, however, said that in India, mid-range hotels will have to ensure safety protocols are sincerely followed in order to revive business.
“Mid-range hotels in India really need to follow hygiene and sanitisation with a lot of integrity. But who will audit this and who will make sure the practices are followed? That is going to be a big challenge,” said Sondhi, adding that leading hotel chains abroad have engaged safety auditors as they get ready to welcome guests again. The hospitality industry will have to rediscover itself with social distancing and greetings with a smile now hidden behind masks, said Sondhi.
International destinations have tried to keep the avid Indian traveller interested through virtual tours.
“In India, we have been aggressively promoting virtual tourism experiences in consumer media spaces. We believe that virtual reality can be used as an effective destination brochure. It allows consumers a look and feel of the product, and aids in building aspiration. The interest witnessed from Indian audiences in our virtual tourism offerings — especially LIVE streamed safaris — has been incredible,” said Neliswa Nkani, Hub Head — Middle East, India and South East Asia, South African Tourism.