Platform and Outdoors
Experience the New Outdoor
When the lockdown was first announced in March 2020, I quietly gave up hopes of my Annual Himalayan Summer Trek in May-end. I bid my time and hoped for an early recovery in six months. I made alternate plans for an autumn trek usually before the snowfall in Garhwal Himalayas. But unfortunately we are nowhere near recovery and many of us continue to shelter at home shunning all travel/social gathering. Of course, I have now started planning for the next summer ! After all, Hope is seeing light even in darkness !
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DTW
During the Week, India relaxed travel restrictions with more countries under Unlock 5.0 conditions. Indian government has signed Travel Bubble arrangements with many countries to encourage commercial travel and restore normalcy. There are still apprehensions but the urge to travel is strong.
There is a growing feeling that the travel may not return to “normal” in near term. The outdoor is back in fashion though in a new avatar. Outdoor can help in rebuilding travel and tourism but in a fundamentally three different ways- Private, Proximate and Personalised.
More and more travel going forward would be very private. Companies and Service providers should not wait for the group bookings to pick up. They are too risky for all stakeholders- guests, service personnels and larger community. Instead of large groups , tourism industry must look for small private family/close friends social bubbles. Platforms like NotOnMap have started promoting longer term stays for small intimate groups to support the communities where they have established their presence.
This helps in multiple ways- Reduce the high traffic usually associated with shorter stays, ensuring better tracing of guests and safer practices for the host communities. We have also seen an increase in camping which has proven to be resilient in the face of a covid19. It has an added advantage of offering accessibility of space to discover and perceived security in bring-your-own-stuff. My PBEL City neighbours Gangadhar and Ramya along with their home-schooled twin daughters- Amulya and Ananya- have made it their goal to introduce more and more families to outdoor life.
Of course, the usual camping is not for everyone and hence a more luxurious and increasingly popular alternative is “glamping”(glamorous camping). This option combines the comforts of hotel with views of camps.
Second characteristic of this outdoor revival would be proximate travel. Closed space travel with complete strangers whether in flight or train would be still off limits for many families. Multiple travel portals have reported increase in activity both search and booking for travel but mostly for driving distances from their current residences. General feeling is to control as much as possible and then perhaps access a facility with proper safety and sanitisation. Last weekend, I had driven to BrownTown Resort and Spas effectively managed by an old student Sanketh Reddy and was impressed by the hygiene standards as well as overall ambiance of the place.
Hospitality would have create trust in their processes specially regarding hygiene and sanitisation. They need to devote more resources for employee training as well as behavioural nudges for their guests to encourage social distancing, masking and frequent hand washing.
Third and the most important facet would be personalisation. There is no demand and hence the customer is king. Everybody is trying to make an impression and get the guest. Experts have conflicting perspective about the nature of consumer demand. I have earlier argued that luxury travel would recover faster than the budget travel. Even on platforms like AirBnB and TripAdvisor , travellers would find it difficult to stay with strangers but might be more inclined to a more personalised experience even at premium. We would see more beaches & mountains rather than cities; more travel for relaxation rather than ‘'doing’ AND beaten-off path than nightlife.
2020 was supposed to be the year of travel for many of us. Just recall the discussions at the start of year about the large number of long weekends and all the plans that were made. As of now, avoid your regular “GOA Trip” and look around for private, personalised and proximate experience. Unless you are from Goa but then you are already there !
OTW
Over the Weekend, I discussed fund raising campaigns with few NGOs as part of DaanUtsav earlier called Joy of Giving Week. This is a tremendous opportunity for us to contribute to the causes which are important for us. Go ahead and make that contribution. Now is usually the right time.
As a ritual, I watched parts of Oscar winning movie Gandhi and reflected back on Gandhi’s contribution to nation building. I have never failed to be amazed at his vision of India as nation and his socio-political acumen in understanding India and Indians.
I would like to leave you with Gandhi’s Talisman. This is one of the last notes left behind by Gandhi in 1948, expressing his deepest social thought and trailblazing a path for all of us.
Gandhi’s Talisman
"I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man [woman] whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him [her]. Will he [she] gain anything by it? Will it restore him [her] to a control over his [her] own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj [freedom] for the hungry and spiritually starving millions?
Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away."Source: Mahatma Gandhi - The Last Phase, Vol. II (1958), p.65
I Love You
Shailendra
I still feel with the stats coming by the home ministry on the number of people that can be vaccinated if and when we have it available, the hospitality industry especially in India has a long way to go by showing a lot of patience, endurance and world class hygiene standard. One of the worlds top booking server companies mentioned that they can “sustain”for 2 years only if these current circumstances continues.
On the missing part of travel I feel the forbidden fruit is always the most desired just like travelling and vacations at this point of time!!
Yes, absolutely we all are waiting for it. And I think you have clearly mentioned the Hospitality Industry’s Path to Recovery.