Domestic travel is the key to revival
Global travel was so accessible to Indians that for so long we often overlooked our own backyard. I think we will be seeing what our incredible country has to offer in a completely new light. We will start to embrace travel in a more conscious way, seeking out smaller brands, hotels and experiences that reconnect us with nature and minimise our footprint. Short stays and weekend trips will be huge in 2021. Because international travel will be limited, we will most likely travel locally, more frequently. More road trips for 2021. Packing up the car, with a flexible itinerary is a great way to explore our amazing country. Read on as Jyoti Mayal, President, Travel Agents Association of India shares an insight into the road to recovery and the association’s efforts to keep their members’ confidence afloat during these testing times.
How hopeful are you about travel and business resuming in 2021? Any encouraging sign?
As the President of TAAI & Vice Chairperson of FAITH, I am very confident that travel will revive in 2021. The numbers may take time to come back to the pre-COVID-19 era but the sentiments and confidence will start coming back especially after the vaccine starts getting disseminated in India and other countries. Human beings will always need to be physically present to build relationships to do business deals, to meet each other. Our lives are enriched by real experiences of being there to hear, taste, feel, and absorb. Visiting Family and Friends (VFR) travel will be very strong as families reunite or endeavour to resume their plans from this disrupted year. The reconnection with loved ones, friends, and family will drive travel patterns. This will be both international and domestic.
How has your association managed to motivate and encourage the members in these difficult times?
TAAI has been in the continuous process of motivating its members; the virtual platforms gave us an opportunity to have many more meetings on a regular basis. We conducted various webinars, organised meetings, updated the industry on travel and tourism-related issues, interacted with stakeholders, various educational programs on tourism and statutory compliances were conducted. We also conducted a motivational webinar with Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. We have been able to help our members in getting refunds, airlines to book through GDS. Educating our members, skilling, upskilling and most important our suggestions to the government were shared and adopted on a regular basis. The government has been considering our various inputs pertaining to preparing policies and implementation. Our connect with MoCA MoT, Ministry of Finance, Health, Skill & Niti Aayog has been well established.
We have been able to restore travel by advocating to the government to open businesses, hotels, convention centres even if it is with limited presence. Only if the country opens will the confidence and demand be generated. TAAI has consistently persisted and got RTPCR testing implemented. We are now working aggressively for free testing at airports and health/medical insurance to be made compulsory by the tourism ministry and on-air tickets for the protection of the agent and consumer. We have also advocated for additional flights for more connectivity, flights beyond ‘Air Bubbles’ which the Honourable Minister has taken into consideration.
Indian outbound travel scenario is supposed to take a back seat compared to domestic travel. According to you, what factors will help make the Indian travellers feel confident and stress-free for outbound travel?
Domestic travel will play a very important role in the revival of the economy and travel business. Inbound and international travel will slowly increase and gradually the confidence will be built up. Consumers will want more information about their end-to-end journey, such as which aircraft, which airport to transit and the hotel’s ‘COVID’ cleanliness processes – as people want to make their careful decisions to minimise their risk and exposures for themselves and their families. Search engines will need to supply more information to enable filtering and selections. When people feel safe, they will travel more – as they now know what it is like to be prevented to go to places, they thought they could go anytime.
While it is difficult to predict exactly what tourism will look like in the future, we can expect that travellers will have a greater desire to seek out less crowded attractions and destinations, as well as nature-based experiences. Fortunately, some of India’s key attributes including our wide-open spaces, our relative isolation and our reputation for being a safe destination, will be attractive to draw international travellers when they can travel here again. One of the key areas that we are committed to, is telling our incredible indigenous story and celebrating that rich history of the oldest continuous living culture on Earth. Another key focus for us is tapping into an increased desire for, and awareness of, sustainable tourism products and experiences among travellers.