The previous decade saw netizens being active on Social media, posting pictures of their travel to international destinations. We were inspired by posts asking us to travel for our growth. However, with the onset of this decade, the whole ball game has turned. Nobody foresaw a virus that could restrict the entire world from stepping out of home for more than a year, and hence, what was a huge business so far, faced a major hit.
Lockdowns restricted people not only from traveling abroad but also within different states. Rather even traveling from one place to another in the same state needed special permissions from the Government.
We see new aspects of travel. Here is what we see trending:
Ecotourism
Now that people are starting to come out of their homes, they are likely to start by driving to a place close to home. There is a tendency among people to avoid areas of popular tourist attractions and walk the roads less traveled- amidst nature, instead of commercial junctures, to prevent the virus from spreading.
Another factor that is playing a part in this is the economic shock. Not only has the travel industry seen a dip, but also there is a huge population that has been out of work while the other remaining are receiving a pay-cut. Therefore, to boost the economy of the country, the Government is promoting local travel.
Vaccines
Countries all over the world are encouraging vaccination. Unless viral test results show negative, people are not allowed to board international flights to prevent passing the virus around to the people around them. Similarly, for their health, people themselves are not ready to travel unless they are vaccinated. Hence for the Tourism industry to roll, a generous supply of vaccines in the market is necessary.
Safety
Cleanliness, and hygiene have become a concern like never before. People are consciously opting for contactless forms of payment. Planning and execution of travel plans are pivoting around Safety.
Places that advertise being “fully sanitized” are getting better chances of attracting guests. People are looking at choosing less crowded and private locations to stay in. Hence, post-pandemic, ones like the short-term rentals in San Francisco are being preferred that allow guests to virtual check-in, to hotels, for their temporary stay.
Sustainability
A considerable percentage of the population was already into sustainable practices before Covid- 19 for global warming. With the breakout of another environmental crisis, organizations are resorting to exercises that do not need them to cut down trees. For instance, hotels send PDFs of itineraries to their guests, and airports accept virtual tickets from the passengers at the entry gates. Other sustainable practices, for example, restricting the use of single-use plastic, are also increasingly coming about.
The employers are not sure when it will be safe to call the employees back to the office. The year that went by showed that it is possible to be productive working from home too. Hence, while traffic’s universal complaint is likely to come down, people may not find the urgency to go back to the office for work post-pandemic. A life pattern like this will bring down the business and revenue from cab service and other transport to work.
A new concept in place is “Workcation’ which allows employees to work from any exotic location that they may be visiting.
Conclusion
With the third wave in place, we aren’t sure when travel shall return to its earlier form, but when it does, the industry and the travelers will be seeing a brand new face of travel.