Rajeev Kale
President & Country Head – Holidays, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India)
Our ‘Holiday Readiness Travel Report - Future of Travel post COVID-19’, revealed to us that a domestic holiday was the first choice of 64 per cent of respondents. 36 per cent of respondents showed a preference for an international holiday. Short-haul destinations saw strong interest (41 per cent) and with the reopening of India’s borders, closer to home international getaways are now possible with two delightful destinations, Dubai and Maldives welcoming Indian tourists. We have witnessed bookings from around the country, with a healthy pipeline of enquiries.
Given the pent-up demand for travel, we have witnessed encouraging demand and we are seeing a healthy increase in both queries and bookings. We are seeing growing demand for bookings
that are at short notice - between 5-10 days among those planning a holiday. With the combined burden of official/business work and home-work/chores, India’s travellers especially the young working professionals and millennials are increasingly seeking to break away from the routine and avail of a quick break that does not require much planning and offers an opportunity to rest, relax and rejuvenate. Workations, Staycations, renewed interest in domestic travel, preference for outdoor/adventure activities – away from the crowds are some of the popular travel trends that have emerged in light of the current situation.
The downtime has given us time to re-imagine and re-engineer every business and process through integration and the enhanced use of technology. Besides, it has also given us the time to upskill our teams through engaging webinars conducted by experts from destinations, hotels, airlines and key partners.
Given that the customer’s number #1 priority is health and safety, there have been significant changes to build consumer confidence in travel. There is a significant opportunity for domestic tourism to take centre stage and give a boost to the economy. Recent initiatives undertaken by the Ministry such as the ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ campaign have also helped promote domestic tourism – including the lesser-known destinations.
India’s lockdown and restrictions also led to many honeymoon plans being postponed or smaller wedding functions. The highly reduced expenses, however, allow couples to indulge in exclusive honeymoon travel experiences in India and abroad and also avail of the best rates at Dubai’s Atlantis, The Palm, or at Maldives’ luxury and super-luxury resorts. We are also witnessing the rise of the sensitive traveller, who respects his eco-system and seeks deeper enriching travel experiences. Trends such as slow travel-allowing one to experience a destination at a leisurely pace while appreciating the local heritage are becoming the new norm.