Travelling has been a slippery slope in all of 2021. Even with the approval of the vaccine in some countries, travel restrictions are only getting stricter because of a new strain of the coronavirus. Taking precautions, a few states in India have also imposed new quarantine and testing rules. On the brink of the new year, let us look at the five most pressing queries facing the travel industry and individual travellers.
1. How Long Should You Wait Until Travel Picks Up?
Normalcy in the travel industry will take a safe, effective and well-distributed coronavirus vaccine. But the vaccine distribution may take time, and then return to travel will be gradual. Still, the vaccine gives us a reason to be hopeful. However, road trips will increasingly remain popular with travellers as they guarantee both comfort and control. Airline travel is expected to pick up in the second quarter of the year if there is no second wave. Solo Travel On The Rise In India; Workations At Resorts The New Travel Trend.
2. Where Can You Expect Crowd?
Since August, most Indians have chosen to cover domestic destinations, taking road trips, scenic drives, exploring small towns, and nearby lakes and beaches. The same travel trend is likely to continue in 2021, so the otherwise touristy places will see less crowd. Goa and Jaipur are among the top searched destinations for Indian travellers in 2021, alongside Shimla and Kerala. Further-flung destinations such as the Maldives and Andaman are also popular.
3. Will Airlines Provide Flexible Cancellation Policies?
As the global pandemic crushed travel, flexibility swept the industry, from airlines to car rentals and hotels. The operators ensured the travellers that they had little to lose financially in the booking. Airlines did not charge customers even on nonrefundable tickets as passenger volumes plummeted. There are flexible booking policies for introductory economy class. The airlines may keep the policies flexible until the industry recovers to 2019 levels, which may not happen before 2023 or 2024. From Cancelled Flights To Lost Baggage, Here’s How To Claim Refunds From Airlines.
4. Can You Travel With Your Family?
According to a new survey, 57% of Indians already have travel plans for early 2021. They have already booked trips to popular travel destinations like Goa, Kerala and Shimla. While travelling with grandparents is off the books for a while, you can travel with your children, ensuring that you follow all the COVID-19 rules.
But there is one big, unanswered question: Vaccinations for children. So far, none of the vaccinations was tested on kids. If kids can’t get the vaccine, you may not be able to travel to international destinations.
5. Will You Ever Feel Safe Travelling?
In the past few months, people across the travel industry have been working to create policies and procedures to help future health crisis. The travel companies will now promise health and safety measures, to woo travellers back in 2021. From hotels to tourist spots, there will be a lot of emphasis on cleanliness and a stepped-up focus on health measures.
Beyond cleanliness and health measures, the travel companies will put your fears to rest by more transparent communication, flexible cancellation and rescheduling policies. They will also promise better use of technology during every aspect of the travel experience. So, yes, the travel industry is leaving no stone unturned to make travelling feel safe.
Global nomadism is going to be a massive trend in 2021. The new year will see more people spending months in destinations where they can work and play simultaneously.