Abstract:
Covid 19 is one the deadliest disaster during the 21st century, which has affected the lives of so many people and businesses around the globe. Which has also caused a global economic crisis and created unemployment in almost all the business sectors. One of the most affected sectors is “Tourism”. Since March 2020 the pandemic has created a huge loss to the Tourism sector, every subsector of tourism is completely shut from march 2020 till December 2020. Later India has opened few states for domestic customers but that also come to a stand since March 2021. And there are no international arrivals for tourism in India since 2020 March, let’s take the stock of the situation by analysing the current situation and how can we overcome this hurdle.
Introduction:
The hospitality and tourism sector are affected by covid 19 since March 12th, 2020 from the day when WHO announced the Corona Virus outbreak as a global pandemic. Due to pandemic, the travel and tourism industry’s employment loss is close to 100 million worldwide.
Let’s take the data of 2019 Indian tourism statistics:
Foreign tourist arrival in India has increased to 10.7 million in 2019
Total Foreign Exchange Value due to tourism activities is expected to hit $29 billion in 2019
In 2019, the gender-wise distribution of International Arrivals comprised of 58.6% males and 41.4% females
As per the analysis 62.4% of foreign tourist arrivals was for the purpose “Leisure, Holiday & Recreation” followed by Business and Professional (16.3%), Indian Diaspora (13.5%), Medical (6.1%), and Other Purpose (1.7%)
80.4% of tourists from Eastern Europe came under the category, “Leisure, Holiday & Recreation” followed by South Asia (74.5%) and Central and South America (73.3%). 50.5% of arrivals from East Asia were under the category Business and Professional followed by Africa (21.9%) and Western Europe (20.6%). 24.2% arrivals from West Asia were for ‘Medical Purpose’ followed by Africa (14.6%)
average duration of stay by foreign tourists in India (22.7 days)
India was placed 22nd in the world in terms of international tourist arrivals into the country. It accounted for 1.24% of the globe’s international tourist arrivals
India was placed 13th in terms of Foreign Exchange Earnings (Tourism Receipts) from Tourism
Over 5 million Indian E-Tourist visas were applied in 2019
5.4 million Indians travel to another country for MICE (Meeting, Incentives, Conferences, etc.), study, shopping, leisure or to visit loved ones
As per the report, Uttar Pradesh has emerged as the top destination for attracting a large number of Indian tourists in the state in 2019.
Around 53.6 crores of domestic tourists visited UP in 2019. This estimation contributes to 23.1% of total travellers.
The second and third position is marked by Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh respectively in the domestic visitor's list category.
However, Tamil Nadu has topped in the list of attracting foreign visitors in the state in 2019. Nearly, 68 lakh foreigners visited Tamil Nadu in 2019.
The second and third position is marked by Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh respectively in the Foreign visitor's list category
But if you take the data of 2020 that shows how terribly tourism in India has affected by Covid 19. Tourist Arrivals in India remained unchanged at 0 in June 2020 from 0 in May of 2021. That means there is no substantial business for the tourism sector for the past 12 months. It will take at least another 6-12 months to get the industry on track, ONLY if Govt takes rapid steps to protect the interest of Tourism and creating employment for youths. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Airlines worldwide are expected to lose a record of $84 billion in 2020, more than three times the loss made during the Global Financial Crisis, most of the airlines are undergrounded. Hotels are being closed due to fewer tourists and many five-star hotels turning into quarantine facilities. Most restaurateurs see operating costs rising further because of social distancing, hygiene, and sanitation-related costs. Therefore, sustaining during this crisis is a challenging task for the tourism industry.
Current situation in Indian Travel Industry:
After the end of the first wave of covid 19 outbreak in India, govt has opened few destinations in India for domestic travellers, like Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh. Slowly we start getting traction from November 2020 and got few businesses during the winter season, most of the bookings are for Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh since everyone wants to experience snow and have leisure time with family and kids during Christmas vacation.
When we started to see a bit of hope in January 2021 and most people started to make plans during summer months like April, May, June, and July for destinations like Kashmir, Leh Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, and other parts of India, then comes the 2nd wave of the covid in India and the Nation went on a Lockdown from April 2nd week of 2021. Almost all the bookings were made for summer tours were on the verge of cancellation.
Revival:
The estimated loss for the last 3 quarters of FY 2020-21 is around 15 Lakh crores as per the report. We all hope that 2nd half of 2021 will gain momentum and the industry will start to see its previous glory in terms of people traveling freely around the globe without any fear of disease and “Revenge Travel” will gain importance after July 2021.
Pandemic has changed the attitude of Travelers, personal sanitization and cleanliness are the main priority now. Travelers also avoiding to visit crowded places and prefer more isolated and remote destinations. Instead of taking group tours or fixed departure tours, they prefer closed group tours with known friends and family. Now the domestic tourism is the only way to sail through this pandemic and run the basic operation cost of the travel companies. Huge investments were made and bought a lot of inventories for logistics and road trips, which are just laying without generating any revenue
Is taking Motorcycle tours safe during this Pandemic:
So now a lot of Domestic travellers prefer adventure tours/activities like motorcycle tours, treks, and mountaineering, etc. All these activities can be done either solo or in small groups where social distancing can be attained easily, which also uses the local community to support their livelihood. So, motorcycle touring is an easy and safest way to travel during this pandemic. We follow strict protocols like all our motorcycles are properly sanitized daily, all the hotels we choose are extremely hygienic and follow govt regulations, all our tour guides and crew members will be tested before the tour starts and after the tours. The government of India should take the necessary steps to protect the interests of Tourism and the people who are dependent on Tourism in the upcoming months. Like all the hotels should adhere to the protocols set by the local administration body, sanitization of every room post and pre checkouts, temperature checks during check-ins, Masks, gloves should be made compulsory, proper information should be provided to each one about dos & don’ts, helpline numbers, social distancing & etc.
Conclusion:
Hopefully one day all this pandemic will be over and we all started to live normally, travel normally, and explore the unexplored regions without any fear and hesitations.
ONE DAY WE WILL SEE OFFICE BAGS ON SHOULDERS, INSTEAD OF OXYGEN CYLINDERS.
ONE DAY WE WILL SEE SCHOOL BUSES ON STREETS, INSTEAD OF AMBULANCES.
ONE DAY WE WILL SEE A CROWD IN TOURIST DESTINATIONS AND NOT IN FRONT OF THE HOSPITALS.
AND ONE DAY WE ALL TRAVEL WITH OUR FRIENDS, FAMILY AND MEET NEW PEOPLE ON THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED.
Looking for that day of joy very soon. Hope to meet you all on the road less travelled.
Deepak Chandrashekar
Founder & CEO
Motorcycle Escapades – The Adventure Motorcycle Tours in India