Trends every travel business owner should know about in 2021
Travel is the only known addiction safe for your health.
The travel and tourism industry was one of the biggest contributors to India’s GDP in recent years increasing from 6.07% in 2017 to 9.20% in 2018.
The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) 2020 reported that in the year 2019, tourism generated 39,821 million jobs in India, which is 8% of the total employment in the year 2019.
And then COVID-19 interrupted the progress of the industry, making travel & tourism one of the worst hit sectors today.
This sure sounds dismal, but the good news is that the industry is slowly adjusting to the ‘new normal’.
People are starting to travel again, for leisure and business, but not in a way known to them before COVID-19.
You also watch the latest mojoMeets session on the topic — The Future of Travel Business Industry — hosted by Instamojo, exclusively on its Facebook community, Indian MSMEs Network.
Based on the findings from industry experts, AirBnB and Booking.com, combined with insights from Instamojo travel partners, I list down 6 trends every travel business owner should know about in 2021.
- Workation / Bleisure
More people are now preferring to take a workaction (work+vacation) or looking for Bleisure travel, i.e., combining business with leisure.
2. Solo travel to pick up
In the wake of pandemic-induced ‘social distancing’ rules implemented by governments across the globe, people now prefer travelling alone or with a smaller group of known people to avoid contact with the external world. AirBnB refers to this as ‘pod travel’.
3. Driveable holidays
In order to keep themselves safe, travellers are hesitant to journey long hours in an airplane or via flights. They are preferring to travel by road instead.
4. Sustainable travel
The pause in globetrotting has inspired Indian travellers to become more aware of the environment and travel sustainably in the future.
5. Travel bubble
Travel Bubble is an agreement between two or more countries that open their borders to each other only. This helps facilitate travel between countries while keeping in mind all the health restrictions and safety of local and international citizens.
6. Pivot to stay afloat
Like other industries, the travel business industry also witnessed a surge in the number of travel businesses pivoting to stay alive. Innovation will carve out the way forward for travel businesses.
We have covered what each of these trends mean for your business and what you as a travel business owner can do to turn these challenges into opportunities, in our recent eBook — Travel Trends 2021.
Conclusion:
The pandemic has changed the face of travel, forever. And for the travel business industry to bounce back, it will have to adapt and innovate to the rapidly transforming industry to stay alive and profitable.
