Travel safely this festive season! Revenge travel is back, so is the upcoming festive season for which lots of Indians are gearing up for! Clearly, travel-loving Indians are flooding the hills in disturbing numbers, according to current photos that developed a stir on social media.
A whopping footfall of 25,425 vacationers in Nainital and one more 32,000 heading to Mussoorie more than the weekend has triggered considerable concern about the full disregard for COVID-19 security protocols. This trend shows how revenge travel is turning hazardous and irresponsible, speeding up the possibility of a third wave that may possibly hit sooner and tougher than we can envision.
For these of you currently preparing your next holiday, the vital aspect to contemplate as leading priority is your personal security though traveling. Remember, stepping out from home itself becomes a painfully stressful physical exercise, not to mention the anxiousness levels that soar along with the activity of stepping out.
Deciding how to program a holiday or a road trip is not an quick one suitable now.
We recognized this and spoke to important stakeholders in the travel and tourism market, and they shared some insightful pointers.
Festive season set to draw more travellers
Festive season is about the corner. Most persons program their vacations accordingly. The pandemic has not changed this trend. Perhaps it has even accelerated the travel and hotel bookings early this year. Those preparing their family gatherings, weddings and so on may possibly want to speed up in wrapping up their schedules quickly as hotel bookings are witnessing a surge in demand.
That the uptick in travel demand and hotel bookings has soared is evident from the new collaborations that are now becoming launched.
Collaborations for hosting meetings, engaging experiences
Clearly, hotel bookings are now digital and it becomes more essential for the hospitality market to reopen and reskil their pros to additional prepare for future-proof events.
Marriott International and the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) have lately announced their choice to group up to offer you occasion and meeting officials to be certified by means of their access to PCMA’s Digital Event Strategist (DES) certification course.
For Indian travellers, what does this collaboration signal about the new and evolving trends in terms of the hospitality market?
Karen Bolinger, Managing Director APCA at PCMA rightly sums up the present situation when she says that relationships and small business models are ever-altering.
How you earlier booked a reservation and checked into a hotel is a completely diverse knowledge from what it is quickly evolving into now. With contactless digitised experiences, hotels are bringing new methodologies to step up the self-assurance quotient of guests.
Simply place, the new surge in travel and hotel bookings across India in spite of the increasing issues about the third wave indicate that new expertise are expected for market pros to program, generate and provide digital as properly as hybrid events based on this trend.
For the identical purpose, hospitality partnerships such as the one that Marriott International has lately announced shows the hospitality industry’s commitment to offering enhandanced hygiene protocols and hybrid meeting options or studying possibilities to meet the increasing and evolving specifications of its guests.
For pros, travellers and senior executives who want secure and safe environments to remain in to navigate the present pandemic and to effectively host meetings and events, such collaborations can assist make engaging experiences on the work front.
Healthy hotel bookings, ladies choose holidays at nearby destinations
Vikram Lalwani, Chief of Revenue, Sales and Destinations, Sterling Holiday Resorts Ltd, observes a wholesome booking pattern beginning from July 2021 with a shorter lead time of 2 days, which will continue to be trend in August as properly.
“The festive season will see a similar pattern with more females preferring to holiday at nearby destinations which allow them to drive down in their personal vehicles and thereby reducing the contacts. In the coming months, we are expecting even weekday bookings to gain momentum,” Vikram Lalwani informs TheSpuzz Online.
So, what are your ‘safe’ possibilities?
The safest alternative, as we all know, is to remain at home. If you want to head out, do not neglect to preserve 2-3 masks additional for your personal use and pack some necessary medicines to be additional cautious.
Next, here’s a checklist to start off with:
Map your route to secure destinations
You know most effective exactly where your place is, how to navigate to one more secure place by road. This is the 1st aspect of your homework if you intend to travel throughout this time or in the coming months.
For instance, if you are based in Delhi-NCR, you have many travel possibilities such as Rishikesh, Agra, Ranikhet, Nainital, amongst other people.
Before you determine which location to stop by, verify the COVID-29 numbers and then make a choice in terms of which is the safest place. You also want to determine your period of remain – brief, short, extended, and so forth.
Chhavi Chadha, Founder of Bespoke Tailor Made Experiences, feels that the pandemic has impacted the travel graph in a way that has now resulted in a keen need for persons to get away and discover new destinations but many elements such as travel restrictions, ambiguity and the worry of falling sick though travelling are a deterrent.
In Chhavi Chadha’s view, “However, people are willing to get on an adventure ride to get away. Since there are quarantine restrictions – holidays are getting longer.”
Not packing meals? Figure out exactly where to cease for takeouts
Safety comes 1st. It requires minimal work to make a sandwich and toss in a cool-as-cucumber salad. Or just pack a bun, a salad and dunk it down with a juice that you preserve prepared from home. For the trip, preserve some biscuits, wafers, potato chips or conventional snacks in case you want to munch on a thing. You can also opt to make overnight oats and that is filling to have on a trip. Super secure as well!
Given how closely mood and meals share an intrinsic relationship, Marriott International rolled out a ‘Good Food = Good Mood’ campaign consisting of quick-to-relate films that capture moods from day-to-day life and blend it with superior meals from Marriott on Wheels. Notably, the campaign has been rendered in Hindi, English, Bengali and Kannada, thereby putting emphasis on leveraging and amplifying its vernacular attain.
Through this revolutionary campaign, Marriott on Wheels showcased the energy of meals to lift one’s mood and highlighted its premium meals delivery service that promises an genuine culinary knowledge for foodies who are on the lookout for higher worth-for-funds dining possibilities.
Not keen on packing your personal meals? Then, discover out which restaurants on the way provide takeaway possibilities.
Avoid consuming out at locations enroute and decrease possibilities of exposure.
Knowing exactly where to cease for a fast takeaway alternative can be the safest alternative on a road trip.
Book your accommodation in advance
Don’t wait for the last minute to make your accommodation bookings. The moment you determine exactly where you are heading to, make sure you make bookings for your remain. Factor in your hotel price range, meals expenditures, the quantity of days you want to remain.
Given that the festive season may possibly also see a surge in the quantity of low-important wedding celebrations, travellers can determine their accommodation in advance.
“At Araiya Palampur, while we saw a dip in the bookings in the month of May and early June due to the restrictions and extensions, we are already seeing traction for the rest of the month. The bright sparks we saw with leisure drive-to destinations last year are expected to return with domestic travel picking up as soon as restrictions are lifted.The resumption of group business such as small weddings and events even with limited numbers will be largely driven by regulation,” Amruda Nair, founder & Director, Araiya Hotels and Resorts, tells TheSpuzz Online.
Negotiate by means of the hotel for extra perks, make sure you verify about Wifi connectivity and other necessary specifications. And when you lastly set out on your trip, do not neglect to carry your verified ID and some additional money.
Enjoy Nature, sparsely populated scenic destinations
Without risking as well considerably exposure, there are lots of entertaining points you can do. Make sure you remain away from crowded tourist locations. Keep minimal speak to. Take Nature walks on your personal. Spend time in scenic spots that are sparsely populated.
Dhiman Shah, co-founder and COO, Lohono, informs TheSpuzz Online, “It has been over 15 months since people have been confined in their homes with multiple travel restrictions. In general, home stays are emerging as a far more interesting option for families/groups.We have already started receiving bookings for longer stays. At Lohono, our villas are fully serviced, where guests get turn down services, F&B options, 24 hour concierge and curated experiences. This makes life easier for the guests. The common spaces and private pools that groups can enjoy, at their own leisure, at any given time are an added benefit.”
He additional adds, “With workations emerging as a huge trend, we have ensured that all our villas have all functional requirements. We have also introduced longer-stay packages for our guests who want to stay with us for a period of 7, 14 or 30 days. To ensure the highest level of safety of our guests and staff, we have implemented WHO standard safety guidelines and are working on getting all our staff vaccinated.”
So yes, just unwind, unwind and stay away from crowded leisure destinations
Do points that you never ever had the time to do earlier.
Photograph the sunset.
Write a poem on sunrise.
Just sit back and delight in the reality that you have taken a road much less travelled and that as well, safely!
The pandemic is not more than but. Travel safely and responsibly.