Would We Start Travelling Again Anytime Soon?

For an industry devastated by the loss of business due to global pandemic of COVID-19, the travel industry is the worst affected as it has hit rock bottom for now.  As has been expected from most of the industries, things will take some time to get back to normal again for the travel industry as well. With people sceptical of stepping out in public spaces, more than ever before, it could be 18 to 24 months before travel picks back up, the industry experts suggest. Basically, in 2020, especially for the next six months, there seems no hope for the industry to even expect a little more operation.

This looks especially grim if we look at what had been expected from the travel and airlines industry this year. Before the pandemic broke globally and in India, the reports had suggested that domestic air passenger traffic grew to 14.41 crore in 2019, an increase of 3.74 per cent compared to 2018. And now in 2020, all hopes with industry lie shattered as the central government has banned all travel to contain the virus and people remain locked down in their homes in the fear of enclosed space and close quarters in the aeroplanes.

Also being said, the pandemic may die, but the fear of contamination may not die anytime soon. And hence, while the experts acknowledge they don’t have a crystal ball, they all agreed that it would take around 18 to 24 months before there’s a significant spike in demand and the industry begins to return to regular levels, CNBC reported.

Therefore, some significant structural changes in the travel style, patterns and operations can be expected as there won’t be returning to normal for a long time now. And these changes might include — public travel spaces like the airports may establish newer kinds of security checks to screen travellers who are sick, anxious travellers will vacation and stay closer to home, and the travel experience will be dominated by large chains as small hotels and restaurants struggle or go out of business. Hence, as the industry opens again, the consumers can as well expect heavy discounts and vouchers as the large chains crave for business. Nervous leisure travel will be the only activity as people try to stay close quarters to their homes for everything else.