Yunish Dahal
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed a lot around the world. We have adapted to working from home, OTT movie experience, frequent handwashing and many more. While these habits have changed our usual lifestyle, they are certain to amend the travel trends as well. The international travel is still banned in several European and American nations but the recent development in domestic travel indicates a big shift in travelling patterns.
First thing to learn from a deadly communicable disease is to maintain sanitation and stay safe from germs and viruses. Tourists will be more conscious to find clean hotels rather than cheaper ones. The number of COVID-19 cases, total death toll, vaccine availability and the government's handling of the pandemic will also be an important factor to determine destination. Countries like Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia, UK, Spain, Italy, Peru, USA will have minimal rate of visitors for the time being.
The COVID-19 virus paved its way into humans through food. This is why fooding is going to shift wide. Tourists might hesitate to try new food and reduce the consumption of street food due to the fear. While hotels operated mostly in Continental Plans before the pandemic, Modified American Plan(MAP) or European Plan are likely to be practiced after. Food reviews will be a major source of information to international tourists. They will dig into food security and sanitation the most and a bad first impression of the hotel/restaurant may lead to the change in plans.
Most of the new trends are shaped due to the fear. Though it was unsafe to be in crowded places now, experts believe that the feeling of safety is more when you are with friends and family. Some may argue otherwise but in 2020, the share of bookings for single accommodations on HomeToGo dropped by 44% compared to 2019, with most looking to travel with an average of six companions.
Due to lockdowns many of us have had to spend long periods of time separate from our close friends and families. We want to get back with them and catch up on lockdown stories. This is another reason believed to be responsible to increase the number of group travellers.
A workation is a working vacation. Combining work and vacation means working while away from the office, blending leisure time with productive time. As we have adapted to the concept of work from home, it is highly likely that many companies will follow the trend. Booking.com predicts that workations will be the new travel trend. The site revealed that 37% of travellers have booked a place to stay for a week or even a month in order to work from a different destination. This is also expected to revolutionize the working trends and increase productivity and creativity.
Though the vaccination has begun throughout the world, it may still take months to complete worldwide. Until, your previous travel destination and country of origin will be as important as a passport. Many countries will require digital documentation showing that passengers have been vaccinated or tested for the coronavirus. Experts say that much of the visa denials for 2021 are expected to be because of these information. Tourists from countries like the UK, Spain, Italy, USA, China might even have to face a lot of concerns from local peoples from the destination.
People will want to avoid the crowd for a while, so online booking of entry tickets, meals, registration and documentation, payments etc will be sought after. This was a well practiced trend before the pandemic in many popular destinations but the trend is expected to spread. Some countries are planning to convert the on arrival documentation process to an online system. Even in Nepal, PayPal and QR code payment methods are expected to ease the travel experience.
Travellers are craving wide-open spaces after they have been closed for months or even year during lockdown. Wildlife and nature will be preferred over closed spaces like galleries and museums. Slightly isolated locations will win over the crowded pubs. Busy cities, popular beaches and large hotels might not be on the wishlist compared to quiet coastal, mountain and rural locations. Backpackers will be among the first to return to travelling again. Though the pandemic hit hard on the economy of almost all countries, many travel magazines predict that the spending per tourist will rise throughout the globe. The main reason for this is considered to be the psychological state of people realising money is not everything.
ALSO READ:
.jpg)
