Chetan Gupta, Director, R.G. Destinations & Honorary General Secretary, ADTOI in interaction with Travel Trade Insider stressed on the need for tour operators to utilize the present challenging period to improve product knowledge and technology awareness.
Q. With the Indian states now opening for tourism, how do you view the demand for domestic tourism in the near future?
A. It will take some time before international flights resume in India, which means inbound tourism will take a backseat for a while. So, keeping in view the present scenario, domestic tourism will be the first segment to view recovery. Tourists will prefer to visit nearby destinations which are in a range of 200-250 km from their abodes.
Domestic tourism will gain traction once the pandemic curve flattens. However, the stakeholders of the tourism and hospitality industry need to give utmost importance to quality hygiene standards.
Q. Do you expect demand for weekend travel to supersede other segments as travellers may look to avoid travel for a longer duration?
A. Yes, weekend destinations that are accessible by road will be in demand and people will drive in their own vehicles considering safety concerns. Mostly, all big hotel chains have come out with their weekend packages to attract tourists and to start the travel business again. But I expect the demand for weekend travel to show growth in a month or two.
Q. How is the Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI) educating its members to remain positive in current difficult times when tourism businesses have come to a standstill?
A. Overall, businesses have come to a standstill but the travel industry has been the most affected. We through ADTOI connect program are trying our best to organise webinars, educational and knowledge sessions on Indian state destinations, chain hotels and technology for our respective members.
We at ADTOI strongly believe that this is the time to enhance your knowledge of destinations so that we can learn and sell better.
Q. Going forward in the post Covid world, what should be the focus of tour operators to ensure profitability?
A. I think business is going to be tough and more challenging in the post Covid world but at the same time opportunities will also increase. It has been more than 100 days people are confined to their homes and they really wish to venture out to some safe place for a couple of days.
We have to concentrate more on service standards (safety, security and hygiene) rather than looking at profitability in the coming days.
Q. Do you think that India’s ministry of tourism (MOT) should focus more on domestic tourism in the coming future as demand for inbound tourism may be limited?
A. We are in constant touch with MOT in this regard. Officials at the ministry also understand that the domestic market will be the first thing to show green shoots.
Keeping this in view, the ministry has organized many educational webinar series under its “Dekho Apna Desh” campaign. This campaign is focused mainly on all Indian destinations and will enhance business opportunities for domestic tourism.
Q. On a personal front, how do you keep yourself motivated?
A. I am an optimistic person and strongly believe that instead of criticising, wasting time at home, sleeping, watching television, one should invest this time in developing and upgrading skillset. Invest your time in learning technology, digital media, digital marketing, courses of your interest.
We all have seen the new normal. Everything is going digital and virtual from learning to education, from meetings to presentations. So, adapting to technology is the need of the hour at this point in time.