As the second wave of the pandemic starts to ease and persons are searching for choices to satiate their pent up travel will need, what choices lie in front of travelers and how very best can they travel safely and securely. In a tete-a-tete with The TheSpuzz Online, Gaurav Aggarwal, Founder & CEO, Savaari Car Rentals shares his insights on the trends that are emerging and how the travel business will shape up. Excerpts:
What tends to make road trips the preferred mode of travel post-pandemic?
After more than a year spent indoors, persons are now inclined towards leisure travel for their pent-up travel need and extended-pending retreats. Whether it is therapeutic travel to remedy the pandemic fatigue or the government’s steady attempts to revive the country’s tourism, various variables have resonated to the tune of domestic travel, translating into a road-tripping boom in India.
- With security taking the front seat, the travel pattern is at present determined by the distance of the location from home as effectively as the different security offerings in the course of commute and remain. Which is why nearby, offbeat destinations that are accessible by brief road trips are taking precedence more than well-liked, crowded tourist destinations which are almost certainly positioned in the other corner of the nation.
- Road trips in India are a wonderful way to make travel more experiential. Even travelers who normally fly out, are now preferring to take the road than normal modes of transport – on road trips, persons are more in manage of their atmosphere and can entirely keep away from make contact with with strangers. Whether they self drive or rent a vehicle, persons now really feel safer on the road.
- International leisure travel remains largely inaccessible even in 2021. Consequently, more and more travellers are turning towards domestic travel to satiate their wanderlust.
In the wake of this, pre-booked car rentals have emerged as the safest solution for commuting during vacations. The provision of dedicated spaces for commuters alleviates security issues that arise due to the concurrently shared modes of transportation such as trains, buses, and airlines. Moreover, with door-to-door service, vehicle rentals circumvents any will need for commuters to be exposed to public spaces which pose the highest danger of infection spread.
How do you see the future of road trips emerging in the post-pandemic phase?
Road travel is a relatively nascent travel category in India, in terms of its mass appeal. Formerly a niche of the ‘serious’ travelers like bikers and backpackers, road travel has now identified a wider patronage, specially in the backdrop of Covid.
Confined to the 4 walls, working from home, month soon after month, persons are more appreciative of small points in life which had been previously taken for granted. The thrill of hitting the roads, rolling down the windows, enjoying wind in the hair, breathing in the fresh air – a day out with family on the roads or brief road trips are a handful of points that got people’s focus only in the course of the lockdown months.
Even although the restrictions will lower more than time, but covid has certainly changed the way persons travel, for great. People are wary of their travel possibilities now more than ever with security and sanitization being the important selection makers. With domestic travel being the initial preference in the upcoming years, road trips will energy by means of in the post pandemic world. And this trend is right here to remain!
With curbs and restrictions easing out, how are the weekend getaways progressing?
– The culmination of the second wave coincided with the onset of monsoon travel in India. After a rather complicated second wave, persons stepped out of their properties for a respite by traveling to well-liked, nearby monsoon destinations.
– Savaari has recorded a surge in demand for vehicle rentals for some of the most fascinating monsoon weekend getaway itineraries such as Mumbai-Lonavala, Mumbai-Mahabaleshwar, Pune-Igatpuri, Mumbai-Alibag, Bangalore-Shivanasamudra, Bangalore-Coorg, Bangalore-Chikmagalur, Chennai-Pondicherry, Delhi-Nainital, Delhi-Jim Corbett National Park, Delhi-Mussoorie and more.
– The demand for leisure travel began choosing towards June finish. As of August, the demand for round trips is currently touching January 2021 numbers – the very best travel month post the initial wave.
Which are the areas that persons choose to go more than the weekends? Is it hill stations or a resort or any other location?
The pandemic fatigue is at an all time higher. Simultaneously, the impressive price of vaccine administration in the nation has instilled self-confidence in persons to step out in the course of the weekends. However, considering the fact that security is nevertheless the selection maker, the existing travel patterns in the course of weekends are getting determined by the distance from the resident cities of persons. The itineraries gaining recognition are the weekend getaways close to the metro cities – irrespective of hill stations or beaches.
Another fascinating trend which has gained recognition soon after the pandemic are staycations. We identified households with children booking cabs to get to a picturesque staycation resort more than the weekend for a speedy brief break. Staycations let you to unwind and loosen up, away from the humdrum of city life – anything persons could use at the moment. Getting on a brief road trip to a nearby staycation for a day or two and coming back in a secure sanitized car is a trend we are observing especially amongst households and young couples, who claim they have been stressed out from prolonged confinement to their properties. Savaari received an overwhelming response for staycations across Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Kolkata.
7 very best road trips for your weekend (Please indicate geography-smart (Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru)?
Mumbai
Mumbai-Pune Expressway: The quickest and longest intrastate highway in Maharashtra that connects Mumbai to Pune and then leads to Goa. The route goes through some of the very best towns and nature spots on the Western Ghats in Maharashtra. Stop by areas like Lonavala, Khandala, Amby Valley, Rajmachi Fort, for their scenic views, a brief trek, or check out centuries-old forts.
West Coast Road: A road trip across the western coast of South India requires you by means of the most beautiful shores and some of the hidden offbeat beaches on the western coast. Relax on the white sands of Gokarna, Malpe and Matheran prior to you witness the expansive tea estates of Wayanad followed by the Alleppey backwaters and the picturesque beaches of Kovalam.
Chennai/Bangalore
East Coast Road: Running along the coast of the Bay of Bengal, this highway connects Chennai to Kanyakumari. Regarded as the most scenic highway on the eastern coast of India, this road goes by means of old resort towns, colonial structures, temples, and historical monuments of Tamilnadu on one side and the breathtaking views of the bay on the other. Mahabalipuram, Tranquebar, Pondicherry, and Karaikal are the very best stops enroute.
Bangalore
Bangalore-Ooty through Mysore Road: This 7-hour road trip is for nature and art lovers as it passes by means of the scenic locales Ramanagara, also home to some lovely temples and the Ramadevarabetta Vulture Sanctuary. Indulge in the charm of the City of Palace prior to you make your way by means of the soul-refreshing lush forests of Bandipur. Other stops along the way are Channapatna, Nanjagud (Varanasi of the South) and Gundlupete.
Bangalore-Munnar through NH7: This 500-km road trip will take you by means of a series of waterfalls and windmills. The highway is dotted with gorgeous palm trees on either side of the roads. The very best sightseeing spots en route are KRP Dam in Krishnagiri, the Blossom Hydel Park and Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary.
Delhi
Delhi-Manali-Leh Highway: One of the very best and longest driving routes in Northern India, this road is as thrilling as it can get. Though a difficult and extended drive, the scenic beauty of the reduce Himalayas tends to make each minute of it worthwhile. Make your way by means of Panipat, Ambala, Chandigarh and Kullu. Take a detour to the charming hill station of Shimla and delight in the snow at Kufri. You could also head to the Great Himalayan National Park for a drive by means of the mountain flora and fauna.
Delhi to Agra through Yamuna Expressway: If you are a road travel enthusiast, you ought to take the Delhi-Agra road trip through Yamuna Expressway, the very best highway in the nation, for the sheer knowledge of it! The highway is dotted with some of the very best dhabas of north India. An unmissable cease along the way would be the Buddh International Circuit, India’s venue for F1 races.
As the travel and tourism business was limping back to normalcy, the second wave of the pandemic wreaked additional havoc. How in your opinion can the domestic tourism business be rebuilt post the pandemic?
The travel and tourism business was amongst the initial-hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will almost certainly be amongst the last to realise complete recovery. Having suffered losses estimated to Rs 125 lakh crores (as per CARE Ratings), a concrete roadmap is necessary to revive the beleaguered business and aid it emerge stronger in the post Covid world.
With the onset of the monsoons, leisure travel has progressively began gaining momentum in India. 50% of the Indian population is currently administered at least one dose of vaccination. As the quantity goes larger, it is additional anticipated to bolster tourism. With relaxations in travel restrictions, we currently see a sturdy recovery in religious, company as effectively as leisure travel segments. The pent-up travel need and the declining quantity of Covid circumstances combined with the government’s impetus to the travel and tourism business will ascertain an exponential recovery in the close to future.
Moreover, the international travel image nevertheless remains restricted, especially the US and EU nations which have been severely hit by covid with higher case count. Consequently, international leisure travel is anticipated to stay largely inaccessible in the close to future. However, due to the pent-up travel need, persons are now inclined towards leisure travel, with more and more international travellers now turning towards domestic travel for their extended-pending retreats and ‘revenge travel’ plans. The timing is just about proper for the domestic travel boom that the nation has been waiting for!
With the festive season right here and the year-finish quick approaching, what trends do you foresee exactly where (areas) and how persons will travel?
– With the festive season starting its onset, persons are searching forward to taking vacations with family, albeit with higher caution. Religious travel has also gradually resumed across the nation. A majority of the weekend itineraries from Delhi, for instance, are centred about spiritual destinations such as Haridwar and Mathura as Shravan and Janmashtami take place to be the higher season for pilgrimage.
– Moreover, with the onset of the festive season with Ganesh Chaturthi in the month of September, followed by Navratri and Diwali, we count on a additional rise in demand for leisure travel.
– December, constituting Christmas and the New Year holidays along with the conducive climate in most components of the nation, is the higher season for travel in India. This upcoming winter, we foresee a large surge in leisure travel to the nearby tourist destinations. The most well-liked itineraries in the course of this time are Delhi-Manali, Delhi-Jaipur, Mumbai-Goa, Mumbai-Malvan, Bangalore-Goa, Bangalore-Gokarna, Hyderabad-Hampi, and Chennai-Pondicherry.
Car rentals are anticipated to stay the most preferred way to travel – a dedicated and non-shared car for a secure and secured ride. We, at Savaari, are searching to expand our currently complete 15 lakh one-way cab routes to 40 lakh routes over the next handful of months and scale our fleet and vendor partners by another 150% to facilitate secure and hassle-totally free commutes for persons.