TravTalk India Online Magazine
Over last two years, we have ridden roller coaster. Owning to pandemic, travel has turned topsy-turvy, and has redefined multiple times since March 2020. We still do not know for how long this will last, but that will not deter us from going on vacations. Here are few possibiltities how the vacations would look like in 2022.
During the last two years, which witnessed three waves of COVID-19, people travelled to destinations that had simple travel rules, they drove a lot (mostly to nearby places), vacationed in villas, paid attention to hygiene wherever they stayed, preferred wide open spaces, postponed intercontinental travel and saw India like never before (and were not embarrassed to admit it on social media). So, how will travel look like in 2022?
People will travel amid new COVID-19 waves
By now we know that like a regular Windows version, new COVID-19 variants may keep coming. We do not know for how long this will last. But most people will not care by then. They will still travel amid new pandemic waves.
A McKinsey Research reveals travelling to be the second most desired activity. We saw that during the brutal second wave in April and May 2021, people were struggling for oxygen and hospital beds. Two months later, people were struggling for hotel beds. But people continued to travel. Travel is in people’s DNA. They will pause, but they will not stop.
People will travel to places that are near to them
How far will they travel in 2022? Like in 2020 and 2021, mostly nearer than far. But a bit farther. So, Indians will travel a lot within the country because they will consider it easier, safer and less complicated. And they will not be shy to share with people on Instagram that the usual summer holidays in the Canary Islands have been replaced by regular trips to a swanky villa in Alibag.
They will continue to travel to Maldives, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Dubai and Oman, as curbs ease between the waves. Asia has been in limbo for almost two years now, so when it opens, expect a deluge of visitors. Apart from travel curbs, another important determinant would be flight availability and airfare.
People will travel to places that are on their wishlist
In the past two years, travel wish lists have been refined many a time. The fact is that people have had time to figure out what kind of experiences are important for them and what are not. Surveys had shown at the start of the pandemic that people will prefer wide-open spaces post-pandemic. While that was true in the initial stages of the pandemic, the later stages proved that many travellers don’t care. So, if Madrid is on their wishlist and it’s easy to travel to, they will go there and crowds are damned.
Travellers will demand flexibility in plans
This is going to be a very important demand from travellers. They will want to know what happens to their money if another variant brings in curbs. Cancellation and rescheduling policies will continue to be looked into with a fine toothcomb. Booking a trip through an OTA will come with its own set of problems as complete changes to a complex programme will demand human intervention. Travel companies that can handle these changes will attract more business. But compared to the early stages of the pandemic when hotels were going overboard with their flexibility, many will want their usual cancellation policies to kick in.
People will book travel through those they trust
Trust will play a huge role in 2022, thanks largely to the morass of constantly changing rules and restrictions that travellers must navigate, and that will continue to exist through most of 2022. If they have had a great experience with an online site, they will continue to give it a shot. But if an offline agent helped them create a memorable trip, they will prefer to continue with such an agent. Going to every hotel website, or checking every country’s immigration website to find out what their safety protocols are, will continue to be a massive waste of time.
