TravTalk India Online Magazine
The last few months have been tough on the society, battling with rising levels of infection and fatalities due to COVID-19. During these times, JTB understood that learning and development knows no boundaries and technology in today’s day and age provides opportunities to share and learn, says Tomoyuki Okagawa, Managing Director, JTB India.
Human interaction is not limited to physical presence. At JTB, we pride ourselves in the business of generating value through human interaction. We are heading towards a ‘new normal’. Many business models including that for tourism must be re-written. But, before that, we must step back, introspect and prepare. To prepare for this new normal, we at JTB had a five-step process– Tools (IT Infrastructure), Rules (clear expectation from employees), Norms (revisiting the existing travel and work norms), Culture (to support one another and keep communication channels active) and Resilience (smiling through adversity and continuing the learning process). And, I thank my team for rising to the occasion and creating multiple learning opportunities, from participating in destination webinars, certification courses and virtual team building activities to ideating alternate revenue models. Life at JTB has been enriching and busy during the lockdown and I am certain that we as a team are ready to bounce back to business.
In future, tourism will totally change. People will value experience more and safety will be a priority. We may see a change in the method for destination selection from a previous herd behaviour to search for unique uncharted and safe territories that have clear guidelines.
I believe domestic travel will take a bold lead to beat down the ‘lockdown fatigues’, as short-breaks and weekend travel is believed to be the antidote to ‘stress’. Sensing a long-term lull in overseas travel, the Ministry of Tourism launched ‘Dekho Apna Desh’, which I feel is a phenomenal step. Even veterans in travel and trade are yet to explore the magnificent offerings in India with destinations in Northeast, Kerala, Thar Dessert, etc. We still need a lot of work on M!CE infrastructure in the country and I hope the government will soon look towards this direction.
Lastly, I would like to talk about virtual tourism, which is going to be the futuristic trend in the travel and tourism industry. Nothing in life can ever replace face-to-face interaction and the joy of touching the sea waves or climbing up a mountain. But, in today’s times, virtual events come a close second providing us a much-needed platform to connect and experience. Virtual events have evolved and become very engaging with 3D-Avatars, virtual reality, 360-degree views and a lot more. They certainly are here to stay.
Even post the lifting of the long lockdowns and reopening of borders, travel will have its own new protocols where hygiene and safety will be a priority along with a contactless journey. Travel in the coming days will have facets of responsible consumption and tourism. We will have to reinvent and innovate ourselves not only in the way we work but also what we do and how we work.
