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NEW DELHI: The coronavirus pandemic may have thrown a spanner in the works in one’s travel plans, but it hasn t stopped people from planning ahead on where they will holiday, or how, once travel restarts.
Even as the UN World Tourism Organisation said international tourist arrivals fell 83% in the first quarter of 2021 and destinations around the world welcomed 180 million fewer international arrivals between January and March 2021, compared to the first quarter of last year, a survey by travel aggregator Booking.Com suggests that appetite for travel remains, and travellers are turning more discerning. Indian travellers, in particular, lead the world in their appetite for travelling sustainably in future, the survey said.
“Can’t wait to travel with a vengeance,” said Banerjee.
“I think being cooped up at home was hard, and now that things have gradually started to normalize like before, I have trips planned every few months in 2021,” he said.
Another would-be traveler, Preeta Ganguli, a New-Delhi mental health professional, said, “We’ve never spent so much time at one place, and with Covid-19, even our perspective towards travel has changed.”
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The beleaguered hospitality industry, which was among the worst-hit sectors during the pandemic, is beginning to see a surge in bookings now that lockdowns are gradually being eased.
Sustainable tourism will dominate travel industry: Ritu Mehrotra, Booking.com
After one of the most challenging years for travel and hospitality, Ritu Mehrotra of Booking.com, lists top trends that will dominate the industry in 2021.
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COVID-19 changed travel as we knew it. After WHO announced the pandemic, governments across the globe imposed travel restrictions to curb the spread of the virus.
As a result, the travel and hospitality industries came to an abrupt halt. Several people were laid off and salary cuts were announced across the industry.
Ritu Mehrotra, Regional Manager - South Asia, Booking.com, in conversation with Priya Sheth for YourStory Daily Dispatch