Be Responsible, Be Fearless, Pack Your Bags and Go

Last week I called to book a table to celebrate our anniversary at a restaurant in south Mumbai. After making contact with three or four restaurants we finally managed to get a table for the two for us. Most restaurants, particularly those that offered alfresco dining, were not accepting the reservation as they were fully booked for an early seating, given that it was a Saturday. But the reason for this little story is to demonstrate the silent recovery of the restaurant business. I have to admit these are still early days post the lockdowns and lifting of various restrictions but things don’t look that hopeless as they did even month or two ago, green shoots are visible. A very similar scenario was clear at a five star hotel in Mumbai where I stayed for five nights through the weekend and to my surprise the lobby was bustling with guests with the weekend rush of check-ins and check-outs. A happy prospect after many gloomy months. After a quick word with the Manager on Duty I came to know that the weekend demand is going through the roof and hotels have floated exciting stay packages which seem to be a big hit. 

Hope and optimism. These two words are key. As Simon Sinek said, ‘Optimism is the foundation of hope. And hope keeps us moving forward’. We have to ensure that we look at future with positivity and start to relive our lives hoping for a bright future. The past year has been devastating to put it mildly. We all know it well and enough has already been said and written about the large scale despair, havoc and anguish that Covid wrecked and continues to do so in many parts of the world. The vaccine has given the world a hope and raised the morale of the industry. Even though some are anxious about its efficacy and its reach to larger section of global population, I remain optimistic. We all will get the jab sooner or later this year and as most health specialists have been saying, let’s stay with our masks, practice social distancing and sanitization which are here to stay even post vaccination.  

Many predictions are being made by hospitality and travel experts about a possible timing by when business would be back to the pre-Covid days. At this stage as we all know it is very hard to make a prediction as several factors come into play. The cumulative global drop as one McKinsey Report has forecasted is anywhere between three to eight trillion US$. Most hospitality consulting firms have pegged complete resurgence to take place towards end of 2023 early 2024. This would of course depend on the severity of Covid and actions taken by local governments to contain the pandemic. There are multiple other factors as well that will affect recovery patterns. 

Long-distance air travel in particular is still a cause of concern for many passengers. The confidence building is taking a while. Also limited air connections and cross border travel restrictions for now makes it that much more difficult. 

The quality and availability of health care and hygiene standards at various destinations will play a significant role. Travellers will be reluctant to visit locations where the overall conditions of the said factors are mediocre to poor. Tied to this are travel insurance and its associated costs, an important consideration for many before they set out with their bags. 

Many countries such as India and China offer great domestic travel options. China is already seeing a huge surge in domestic demand backed by excellent travel infrastructure built over the last two decades. Domestic demand will be a key driver for tourism growth in India over the next twelve to eighteen months. It is time for the government and all other stakeholders to quickly put their heads together to leverage this opportunity across various states. As Covid gradually tapers across the country it is important for the Ministry of Tourism or Home at the centre to step in and advise states to ensure travel is largely restriction-free. One can ill afford to have differing policies and rules for interstate travel at this stage. More so when cross-border movement is still in some distance. Let’s get off the beaten track and find new destinations that are in abundance and experience these hidden jewels. Many of these are within motorable distance from key metros, affordable, and don’t require the stress and anxiety of air travel. With countries such as Italy, Spain, US and UK which attracted large Indian outbound traffic for several decades still under serious threat of Covid, the domestic travel and hospitality industry must package great experiences at attractive price points to ensure the domestic traveller sings ‘dil mange more’ for a long time to come. I too recently saw television commercial on CNN about the attractiveness of Odisha for tourism which immediately piqued my interest. 

On a lighter note some thoughts on the changing phase or if I may say face of greetings on account of Covid. The days of bumping noses as done today in Yemen and other Middle Eastern nations, air kisses on the cheeks practiced by many European, Canada, Latin America and the US have gone away or restrained for now. Shaking hands, the most widely-used welcome gesture, has disappeared. At the recent US President Biden’s inauguration there were no hugs and warm handshakes, instead, fist taps and elbow jabbing took centre stage. The age-old Indian Namaste has gone viral, along with placing the hand on your chest as practiced in Malaysia or the simple bow of the Japanese, Thais and Cambodians. All getting widespread acceptance as new greetings for the world to choose from.   

In this world of limitations, Covid has pressed a long pause button for mankind to also ponder deeply about the harm we have caused to nature and environment past few decades. The clear skies, pollution free cities, flora and fauna suddenly thriving and humanity feeling blessed during the strict lock down was a beautiful dream. The roads are already choked with traffic, factories are belching smoke, air traffic is slowly crowding the skies and pollution rising.

It is our collective responsibility that we shoulder and hold back our intemperance, reckless attitudes towards environmental degradation and unflinching desire for consumption. The time has come to redefine success, our values, our priorities and finally, what kind of world are we going to leave for generations to come.