02 Apr 2020 | 03:59am IST
Wanderlust lost?
Post COVID 19,travel aficionados will no doubt be eager to explore the world and relax
on a beach again,although it may take some time and with redefined travel rules
Mini Ribeiro
Travel
is always exhilarating. The power of
travel
in broadening horizons and drawing unique perspectives on life is undebatable.
But
travel also teaches you to be resilient and how to overcome adversity. And the latter
could never be more relevant than
now,
especially for the travel and tourismindustry that has been hit by the outbreak
of the coronavirus pandemic.
In current times, the prospect of travel is
daunting to many of us, but will people stop travelling or cease to disengage
themselves from the grind by taking off? The answer is perhaps, no. But it will
certainly be a matter of time before we resume.
A nomad knows no boundaries when it comes to travel, but caution has to be exercised now
and restraint practised. Himanshu Joshi, an enthusiastic regular traveller from
Delhi and a travel writer, avers, “The urge to travel only gets stronger each
day I spend cooped up in the house. The question is when one should give in? If
after 21 days the lockdown is lifted, should I go to the market, meet friends,
have a party? But is that responsible? Does a mere announcement mean that the
threat of COVID 19 is over? I don’t think so. The dilemma is when to start
travelling. On the positive side, travelling will be easier financially. Hotel and
transport rates will be cut so as to kickstart the demand.
On
the negative side, there will be shortage of food and many such items. Also,
there is a distinct possibility that all outsiders-travellers, will be seen
with prejudice wherever they go. They could be carriers of the disease. It thus
boils down to when does one feels safe enough to travel and, more importantly,
when do people in general feel safe to welcome an outsider?”
Caution will clearly be the buzzword when it
comes to travel. Goa based hospitality sales professional, Siddhant Salgaonkar,
states, “COVID has already adversely impacted travel to an unprecedented level.
As soon as the lockdown ends, we should see some movement. However, demand will
remain subdued at least for the next quarter. Goa being a leisure market and
owing to its distance from Mumbai, Bangalore and Pune, is expected to rebound
sooner than others. I will get back to travelling as soon as restrictions are relaxed,
but after a few months. I will definitely be a lot more careful and take
precautions while travelling in or to crowded places.
Bucket lists may have to be changed, travel
may have to be postponed, but surely one does not need to curb the urge for
wanderlust post COVID 19. Optimists would like to believe that it is travel
again that will enable us to get over this phase. It is perhaps the perfect
time to research and plan your next trip.
Sujata Chakraborty, a Mumbai-based avid solo
traveller,says, “I had to cancel my holiday to Nagaland, scheduled for this
month, because of the restrictions caused by the pandemic. Travel agents and
airlines, which are hit quite hard, have issued credit notes to most
travellers. I agree it is best to stay put in familiar surroundings at a time
of such crisis. On the other hand, I’m also sure that I’ll soon be craving for a
travel high. I already find myself surfing through pictures of prior holidays.”
The tourism industry accounts for 10% of the
world’s GDP. According to World Health Organisation (WHO), currently, 186
countries around the world have been affected by the coronavirus. This list
includes popular tourist destinations like Italy, Switzerland, China, South
Korea,
Azerbaijan,
Australia, France, USA, Germany, Hong Kong, Russia, Japan, Indonesia and Spain.
Anju Tandon, CEO, Ark Travels, acquiesces
that the travel and tourism industry is badly affected, but is optimistic too. “Once
the situation gets normal, domestic travel will pick up, as it is easier to
assess things in your home-ground and people may travel in their own cars and
may not use public transport. They may visit family and friends and stay with
them. They are also likely to use only reputed chain properties where they are
assured of hygiene and quality. Leisure will be the last sector to revive as
there is a fear factor. Also, the economy will take a turn for the worse, thus
less disposable income and less leisure travel. There are a lot of question
marks for the whole tourism sector.”
Pritika and Mudit Todi, Founders, One Ninety
Five Holidays, reiterate, “Many of our clients are clear they won’t travel
until about the last quarter of 2020. That also, only if everything settles
down completely. Other clients will only travel to countries which were not
heavily infected by COVID and that too without transit flights. Lastly, a few
of them want to do only domestic travel and avoid anything international in
2020.”
Clearly, COVID 19 will change the dynamics
of travel. Aseem Hattangadi, Founder, The Travel Therapist, feels,“Many
affected destinations will have to come out with very attractive offers and
incentives to lure travellers and also make sure that they are totally COVID
free. People when
travelling
will have to be extra careful and cautious, when it comes to their hygiene and
sanitation standards. People may indulge in solo travel, couples travelling
together or families of 4-5 members. No group travels would happen for some time.”
You clearly cannot tie down an explorer. Goa
based Jason Fernandes, Founder, TokenJay.TV, who is an incorrigible traveller,
states, “The COVID-19 situation is not going to stop me from travelling. I
expect the virus to have a permanent effect on how we live and work and that
includes travel. People will have to get used to being hyper aware of hygiene
during travel and take precautions the same way people are vigilant about
terrorism. After all this time indoors, you can bet that when air travel is
finally resumed, I will be one of the first ones on that plane.”
That
is true, after all travel makes you forget everything, so put COVID 19 behind
you when it is all over and travel again. For the time being, allow your mind
to travel and continue to feed your wanderlust.