How Omicron could change tourist profile and trends

When it comes to getaways, domestic travel growth has significantly outpaced global tourism as a whole and is expected to rise even more in 2022. People have learnt to slow down and appreciate an unhurried life during the pandemic (and that's great!), but what they now refuse to settle for is spending weeks and months to plan and book a travel break with friends and family. It's living in the now or never –with many people planning and booking an instant getaway or holiday at the first possible opportunity. Booking patterns on MakeMyTrip indicate that there has been a significant increase in bookings for weekend getaways, with many people booking closer to the date of travel.

Safety, hygiene and limited contact with people outside of ones circles have now become the new travel normal. People now actively search for homestays or alternative accommodations that offer a comfort of home at a home-away-from-home. There has been a 70 per cent increase in bookings for homestays in Goa, Manali, Udaipur, Ooty, Lonavala, Srinagar, Darjeeling and other popular tourist hotspots this year. As per advance searches on the platform, there will be more takers for homestays located in these destinations in 2022.

Indian travellers are turning towards exploring lesser-known or hidden travel gems that offer tranquillity and divinity. Karjat, Mashobra, Pahalgam, Shimoga and Mukteshwar have already made their way through to the travel bucket-list of Indian travellers who seek solemn serenity. Data on the platform indicates that there has been a 40 per cent increase in searches for stays in some of these destinations with majority of the bookings made by couples and group of young adventures. Searches and bookings for homestays in offbeat destinations including Bir, Varkala, Kasol, Hampi, Tirthan Valley, Araku Valley and Panchgani are also expected to go up in the coming months.

Travel solutions that offer flexibility, comfort and assurance will be actively searched and opted for in 2022. Be it, air fare lock option that allows travellers to lock fares for up to seven days, to Covid-19 insurance.

The third wave of coronavirus is here as the cases of Omicron are being detected in the country. Though the cases are few and no deaths have been reported till now, the Central government has started taking precautionary measures. The State governments are ensuring all precautions are taken and vaccination is done. Amid this, India's scheduled international flights, which were supposed to resume from December 15, have been put on hold. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a new circular in this regard.

However, special international passenger flights have been operating since July last year under air bubble arrangements formed with approximately 28 countries including the US, the UK, the UAE, Kenya, Bhutan, and France. Under an air bubble pact between two countries, special international flights can be operated by their airlines between their territories.

Tourism has endured a terrible pandemic, and the bad news is that 2022 will only bring a partial recovery. Borders are reopening, but international travel will still be difficult. Compliance with climate-change regulations, as well as higher fuel prices and wages, will also push up air-travel costs in 2022. This will eventually lead to airline mergers, airport closures and higher ticket prices.

There are now more than 1.4 billion international travellers globally, spending US$1.5 trillion per year.It's time for the world to work together. The scale of the problems facing humanity is too big for any organization, sector or country to tackle alone. We need global ecosystems to collaborate and develop innovative solutions. We need countries to pursue common approaches in areas like carbon pricing and to invest in technology and skills development.

Increased documentation and higher travel costs are likely to deter the budget tourists, tourism will be confined to the well heeled having a need to travel with the least travel risks. Holiday makers will look for safe destinations.