In the new normal, travellers will look for ‘professional travel advisors’ to know what is safe, what is open and to get itinerary that will ensure their end-to-end health safety, while travelling.

And undoubtedly , only the tour operators and travel agents can be such advisors who can provide trusted guidance to them in the post covid times.

While technology is certainly important
for the travel sector, the importance of human connection has again become paramount in the new normal and this human touch , that is critical to help travellers to travel with confidence ,can be best provided by tour operators and travel agents.

It would be my pleasure to participate in the webinar on ‘ Being Tourism Ready ‘ focusing on the increased role, importance and relevance of Tour operators and Travel Agents.

Union Government has provided a big stimulus to travel and tourism sector by opening almost all segments of the sector, with in the country from 8th June, despite Covid crisis still around.

Govt has further facilitated the Industry and travellers by putting in place ,health-safety related travel infrastructure and protocol at airports ,railways and public transport and by issuing guidelines and SOPs for hotels, restaurants, malls and tourism destinations.

The stage is now set for State/UT tourism departments to restart and rebuild domestic tourism. The tourism Industry in the States/UT has to reciprocate by dispelling fears from the minds of domestic travellers by following the health-safety protocol , in words, conduct and action.

In the webinar, convened by New Tourism Foundation, Jammu and Kashmir was taken as the first focus state in its series of ‘Rebuilding Domestic Tourism ‘ for the reasons, that J&K as a destination and its tourism products like Nature, Eco, Religious,Adventure are more suited for domestic travellers from their health -safety point of view ; that J&K is still largely unexplored by domestic tourists and that with its new status as UT, the expected increased growth of tourism infrastructure will provide a boost to domestic tourism .

It was a pleasure to speak at the webinar, and suggest some options to take domestic tourism in J&K forward.
My views and thoughts on the subject are in the attached video film.

https://www.facebook.com/vinodzutshiiasretd/videos/624096685131105/

Countries, all over the world are now readying themselves to open their economies, with out waiting for a post-covid era. The requirement of ‘living with the virus’ poses greater challenge for travel and tourism sector than any other economic sector .

In the new tourism regime of ‘live-with-covid’,
the ‘Government’ has to prepare itself, to formulate and regulate new travel protocol; to create health-safe travel infrastructure , and to launch public awareness drive to inculcate confidence among travellers, about their health safety.

‘Tourism Industry’, on the other hand has to prepare itself, to follow end-to-end health protocols in the entire chain of distribution ; to provide contact less services through extensive use of digital, information and communication technologies; for the changing dynamics of new demand-supply order and to explore new opportunities.

And the ‘Traveller ‘has to become a more ‘Responsible Traveller ‘ than ever before, for his own health safety and in the interest of speedier recovery and sustainability of the sector.

It was a pleasure to participate in the Webinar, organised by Foundation For Aviation & Sustainable Tourism (FAST) on the subject “Preparing Today for Travel & Tourism Tomorrow’’.

My thoughts on the subject are recorded in the attached video film.

https://www.facebook.com/vinodzutshiiasretd/videos/618438152363625/