Tourism sector heading for a comeback riding on large-scale vaccinations, new norms: Industry body

PTI, Sep 25, 2021, 4:01 PM IST

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New Delhi: With the help of large-scale vaccination programmes and new norms rolling out, the tourism sector is inching its way back to recovery, and restart of tourism will help kick-start recovery and growth, the Confederation of Hospitality, Technology and Tourism Industry said on Saturday.

It is also essential that the benefits this will bring are enjoyed widely and fairly, the industry body said in a statement.

“The travel sector, especially domestic travel, appears to be heading for a comeback. Indian travellers are looking for quick getaways through road trips, weekend breaks and staycations that offer local stay experiences,” Airbnb India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan General Manager, Amanpreet Bajaj said.

Travellers are also becoming increasingly aware of sustainable travel and are making environment-friendly choices when travelling, he added.

“The pandemic has helped promote environmental awareness amongst travellers and today, it”s encouraging to see people actively seeking sustainable travel choices,” MakeMyTrip Co-Founder & Group CEO Rajesh Magow said.

In a similar vein, EaseMyTrip CEO and Co-Founder Nishant Pitti said, “We have noticed that Indian travellers have started making more sustainable travel decisions as the pandemic has made everyone think about the kind of impact they are creating while travelling.”

They are now more aware of their choices as they reevaluate their plans keeping sustainability in mind, he added.

“The industry travel booking trends suggest that in a year from now we will be witnessing the best phase for the travel sector. The demand we are witnessing is fairly distributed and holiday patterns have changed tremendously,” OYO India & South-East Asia CEO Rohit Kapoor said.