‘Dynamics of travel changing’

Parvesh Dhull, MD, Maitri Visa and Travel Service, highlights emerging trends in the travel industry. It’s essential to understand and adapt to the changing dynamics, he suggests.

Janice Alyosius

Parvesh Dhull, Managing Director, Maitri Visa and Travel Service, sheds light on the significant changes poised to shape the world of travel in the coming years. He acknowledges the diversity in preferences among international tourists. “As we stand in the modern era of tourism, it is an increasingly intensive, commercially organised, business-oriented set of activities. At the cusp of a new year, the world of travel is poised for significant changes, and our travel habits, like everything else, are not immune to the winds of transformation. The preference of international tourists involves relaxation versus activity, familiarity versus novelty, dependence versus autonomy, and order versus disorder. A sociologist of tourism classifies tourism into four types: individual tourists, mass tourists, the explorer, and the drifter,” he says.

Research indicates that travellers are increasingly open to new and innovative technologies, with 30 per cent expressing excitement about tech solutions that can reduce problems during trips. This presents a substantial opportunity for the hospitality industry to embrace and prepare for the hotel guest of the future. European destinations are gaining popularity among tourists, driven by various factors such as culture, architecture, gastronomy, infrastructure, landscape, events, shopping, and more.

Dhull observes significant modifications in travel itineraries, attributing these changes to mass tourism and the impact of the pandemic in recent years. “Having spent a few years in the tourism industry, it’s essential to understand and adapt to these changing dynamics. I have noticed many significant modifications in travel itineraries, probably due to mass tourism and pandemic situations in past years. Though people have become more cautious about travelling in groups,” he says.