How 2021 will reshape travel for the years to come

Travel (Representative image: Pixabay)

One thing all of us have learnt in the last few months is never to let an opportunity go to waste. Lockdowns and need for social distancing impacted the travel, tourism, hospitality and other allied sectors the most. This gave everyone a lot of time to introspect, and also bring about a shift in consumer behaviour.

While safety and hygiene continue to be a key ask from the consumers, one thing is abundantly clear: the urge to set out and travel has grown stronger than ever before. Viral videos of a jam-packed Goa airport have flooded social media, as the city is witnessing 85 percent of pre-COVID-19 domestic traffic, thanks to the extended holiday season.

According to OYO’s annual travel index, Travelopedia, the gradual unlocks across India led to a rise in consumer confidence to travel again safely with majority bookings on the October 2 long weekend and the Christmas weekend. We are slowly but surely inching back to travelling.

In 2021, we’ve realised that what we called the ‘new normal’, is now the ‘next normal’; perhaps the way of the world in the near future. Even with the constant reminder of the latest mutant virus making its way across countries, the spirit of travel seems unhampered.

If December is any indication of how the next couple of months will be, it is sure to be an exhilarating year ahead.

Here are some learnings and how travel in 2021 will look like:

Era Of Digital Nomads: With remote working, many youngsters are now opting to travel for long periods of time, without burdening themselves with a permanent residence. Many are now looking to find solace in the countryside, instead of being restricted in the cities. Widespread adoption of the Internet and digital technologies has enabled individuals to connect and work from anywhere.

Also, organisations across sectors have found a way to efficiently manage human resources remotely. This has resulted in many opting for ‘workations’ — something that was only restricted to freelancers and consultants. The work-plus-vacation formula, and the advent of the digital nomad revolution might be old, but 2020 has clearly charted a new-age resurgence for this trend.

Destination ‘Schoolation’: With remote learning, school-goers restricted to e-learning platforms and home schooling, a brand new way of travel has emerged from the on-going pandemic. ‘Schoolation’ or simply school-plus-vacation has taken distance learning to new realms. Some hotels and travel companies have started offering ‘schoolation’ packages with supervised learning, private lessons and activities.

Revenge Travel: With months of being restricted, everyone is irritated and tired of being stuck in one place and now just crave for a break. Fifty-seven percent of respondents from a recent travel survey said that they would travel next for leisure and not work. Revenge travel will be the highlight of 2021 where people would want to make up for missed opportunities from 2020 and treat themselves to a holiday.

Carbon-Neutral Travel: Everyone has increasingly become aware of the environment, and more so after the pandemic. Reducing the carbon footprint of travellers will become a big part of the eco-friendly lifestyle. Camping, farm stays, farm-to-table restaurants will drive this trend in the coming years. Many are opting for experiential stays, where they can live the local culture and cuisine, away from the hustle and bustle of the metros. Resorts across the globe and many island destinations in the Asia Pacific region have opted to go the responsible tourism way by enabling recycling, waste management and renewable energy to aim towards generating a net-zero carbon footprint.

From Camping To Glamping: Campervans and other forms of road travel has already become a popular way to travel. This year will see road travels in its many avatars. Good old campervans, to camping or ‘glamping’, there is something for everyone. Steady demand for domestic destinations coupled with the ongoing travel bubbles and restrictions on international travel are further creating interest in exploring one's own country by road. To support the domestic travel movement, recently The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) also launched motor homes or caravans for rent for those who love the great outdoors.

Fit To Travel: Travels of the future will require documentation such as mandatory RT-PCR test or a ‘fit to travel’ certificate. Proof of vaccination dubbed as the ‘vaccine/immunity passport’ or a digital health pass is likely to become mandatory. Countries will follow suit making entry and exit RT-PCR, digital health card or immunity passport mandatory for all travellers.

The year 2020 has charted its way for a truly resurgent travel and hospitality industry, which hinges on technology, innovation and adaptability to make travel safe, seamless and secure. Accommodating new formats of travel and remodelling operations and strategy with the changing times will open up the industry to the transformation.