Do not consider this (COVID-19) a mere crisis; this is a lesson for everyone to be more careful and mindful of our surroundings and the resources we thus consume. Work on becoming resilient to such circumstances and think experiential, says Amit Kishore, Co-founder and Director, Eastbound Group. Read his views on the spread out of COVID-19 pandemic, its impact and way forward for the travel and hospitality segment.
As we all know that the whole nation is going through an unprecedented situation due to the spread of Novel Coronavirus. Despite the increasing number of cases the country is going through the unlocking process at the same time, how do you look at this development?
The lockdown was announced on March 25th as a measure to control the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in India. It was imperative at that time to take this decision in order to minimise the spread of Coronavirus in our country. The unlocking process, on the other hand, is being carried out to make the standstill economy of India walk, and eventually run again.
There are several businesses that were impacted directly by locking down the entire country including the travel and tourism industry. By unlocking some regions and sectors thereafter, the government has tried to provide oxygen to the system that it essentially needs to survive. Having said that, it is not only important but is also our duty to follow guidelines advised by the government whenever and wherever we can for the safety of ourselves and fellow human beings.
Does it create more challenges in front of DMC’s and Tourism Representations in India?
At Eastbound Group, we have three inbound destination management companies viz. Eastbound, Eastbound Discoveries and Distinct Destinations. Looking at the current scenario, we are certain that domestic segment would be the first to revive followed by outbound and inbound. Keeping this in mind, we have included services pertaining to the domestic segment under our DMCs along with continuing to work with our source markets abroad. In this regard, the unlocking process has only paved the way for our businesses and for its future developments.
Would you like to elaborate on the operational strategies of Eastbound Group to be taken while back to business? What is the ‘New Normal’ that your company has adopted?
We are putting strict measures in place to ensure that we are well equipped to conduct all future touring responsibly. The buzz words for us are sanitisation, customisation and partner clearances. We shall keep strict controls on all three counts from end to end. Negligence on either of the three factors shall be strictly monitored and will be non-negotiable.
A comprehensive crisis management manual has been developed by us that shall be strictly adhered to in-house and all our local partners shall be asked to comply. It includes a code of conduct for tour operators, all involved tour guides, drivers, local experience providers, hotel partners and even guests. Masks, use of sanitizers and social distancing will continue to be the norm and travel partners will be chosen on their ability and commitment to mitigate the risk of the virus.
How do you look at people’s behaviour post COVID-19 or when there is less fear among the travellers to go out?
Although the industry has never witnessed anything like COVID-19 before, we must realise that travel is an intrinsic part of human DNA and people will not stop travelling or exploring new destinations. While there are some places in India that are severely affected by COVID, there are others that have less number of positive cases or are even announced as green zones by the government of India.
States in the North-East of India, Uttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh where the population is low and scattered are already witnessing tourists from around these states who are travelling via their personal automobiles. These places will undoubtedly see an increase in tourism in the coming months. Game reserves and safari parks are also expected to do better.
Meanwhile, we have opened all our businesses targeting domestic segment with full force.
What is your observation about the beginning of touristic activities?
Now focus will be moved to single travellers, millennials and young couples with high disposable incomes over older demographic who will be apprehensive to travel or visit crowded places in the coming days. Tier-1 cities which are stronger business driven markets will be given more importance to while corporates will be persuaded to conduct conferences and events domestically. Also, airlines and hotels will come up with lucrative offers to lure clients, whereas new experiential formats of tourism will be highlighted.
What are your plans for the organization for next few months? Is there any project in development pipeline?
The single most important lesson we have learnt from this global pandemic is keeping health, hygiene and safety of the people at the pinnacle of our organization’s core values. We are considering all possible scenarios and guidelines to minimise the impact of any such unforeseen calamity in the future. Also, we are in the midst of restructuring our operations and offerings to become more resilient to such circumstances.
What are your suggestions for the tourism & hospitality sector to deal with current crises?
Health! Health! Health! Make hygiene and safety of your guests and employees your topmost priority. Do not consider this a mere crisis. This is a lesson for everyone to be more careful and mindful of our surroundings and the resources we thus consume. Work on becoming resilient to such circumstances and think experiential.
