Experts suggest that the recent trough in the tourism industry is temporary. New experiential circuits will continue to garner travellers. By Ayushi Sharma
It is no secret that the ongoing social unrest in the country, fuelled by student protests over controversial identity and citizenship laws, and the resultant security lockdowns, have affected the tourism business badly. Travel operators admit an 18 per cent fall in tourist traffic in the busiest holiday season over the New Year weekend.
The mood at the 27th edition of the South Asia Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE), a B2B travel trade engagement show, therefore, wasn’t quite upbeat. So how do political upheavals impact the travel and tourism in the country? Says Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director for Informa Markets, “Nobody wants this kind of uncertainty and violence. People wish to travel in peace and with conveniences. Most of all they cannot compromise with connectivity. Travelling is a recreational and aspirational activity. So you don’t want to go into turmoil. Having said that, India is resilient and has waded through crisis. And the travel and tourism industry is bound to become one of the growth engines of the economy.”
The three-day expo brought over 1,050 exhibitors, 200 foreign buyers from over 50+ countries and 500+ domestic hosted buyers from 104 Indian cities. Union Minister for State for Tourism and Culture Prahalad Singh Patel, who was the chief guest, shared India’s advantage in the tourism sector. “Ours is the only country that has a different cultural identity across dimensions and geography. A new experience is always awaited.”
EXPERIENTIAL BREAKS
Operators have zeroed in on a few trends that will shape the contours of the travel industry. “With millennials becoming new-age travellers, they are constantly on the lookout for off-beat experiences and are moving towards the short break concept,” says Yogesh.
Every year, different trends emerge in the travel and tourism industry, which cater to the desires of wanderers and Yogesh points out that the idea of experiential tourism is gaining popularity in the country. He says, “If a person has gone to a particular destination, s/he wants to enjoy a city exactly the way locals do. People don’t even mind spending but they wish to do it wisely and prioritise experiences. For instance, all Indians dream of taking that 15-day Europe tour in which they travel to seven countries at one go. However, later, the same people prefer travelling to each destination all over again just to experience them in a different way.”
SOCIAL MEDIA HOLIDAYS
A new twist to the trends has been added due to the rising craze of getting more insta-worthy shots. He adds, “People want to flaunt it all on social media and tell their followers what they are experiencing each day rather than travelling many destinations at one go. Which is why exploring all the nooks and corners of one city has been getting more traction.” Yogesh feels that if you give millennials a choice between buying a car or going on an overseas trip, they will anyday pick the latter.
“This has been the big change in the outlook of the people over the years because travel doesn’t just let them recreate but make their social media handles quirkier. It lends a new sense of conquest,” says he.
CRUISE TOURISM
One of the key dignitaries, Mansukh L Mandaviya, Minister of State for Shipping, points out how cruise tourism among Indians has become very popular. He says, “India’s coastline runs for 7,500 km, which offers immense potential for cruise tourism. Keeping this in mind, we have built international cruise terminals such as the one in Mumbai. A few in Goa, Mangalore, Kochi, Paradip and Kolkata are in the pipeline as the ministry and its stakeholders are continuously working to build the tourism sector.”
The cruise sector has witnessed double-digit growth in recent times. Vishal Suri, managing director of SOTC Travel, believes that this is not limited to just families or new couples as even millennials are opting for cruise holidays over other traditional vacation spots. “Given that cruises are becoming extremely stylised and offer multi-destination routes along with a range of amenities, including adventure activities, entertainment shows and authentic cuisines, they are sure to be included in more travel itineraries,” says he.
SIZE OF BUSINESS
Yogesh tells us that despite the current economic and political crackdown, the tourism industry still remains one of the fastest growing sectors in the country. The reason for this could be government initiatives like e-visa, which have helped in attracting various international tourists and boosted circuit travels.
Vishal points out some other travel trends to bleisure, which combines both travel for work or business and leisure. This is going to take the lead in 2020. “Today, Indian travellers place greater emphasis on viewing the world and they don’t want to let go of any opportunity for the same. With the newer generation of travellers stepping into the workplace and jet-setting off on work-related trips, they will be enterprising in their approach and make the most of their journey by ticking off another destination on their bucket list,” he says.
RETURN TO TRAVEL AGENTS
Yogesh believes that the travellers are getting more aware and want more customised and linked packages. They may be technology-savvy but cannot find their deal online. So they may want to use travel agents to understand a destination better and to map it their own way. He points out another shape-shifting arc for the year 2020. He says, “Do it yourself travel, in which you create your own itinerary that includes the things you most want to see and do, is growing rapidly.” Individualised and extremely local are the way to go.
