The pandemic has had an impact on practically every sphere of human life, but certain aspects have borne the consequences of COVID-19 more than others. While economic activity and mobility have been gravely affected, the travel and tourism industry has probably suffered the most.
With its forts and palaces, pilgrimages and temples, forests and national parks, India reflects the diversity of its culture and population. To experience this first-hand, millions of domestic and foreign tourists travel and tour across this fascinating land every year, whether it be during the summer break or wintertime festivities.
Last year, long before the pandemic struck, the travel and tourism industry was booming. The last quarter of the year was traditionally the most profitable month for the tourism industry as people preferred to travel during the holiday season in the cooler months of October, November and December. December used to be the peak tourist season, as people wished to end the year on a high and memorable note in scenic destinations.
However, all that has changed this year. The fear of COVID-19 and the risk of infection kept a billion Indians confined to their homes, with international borders sealed and the principles of “Atithi Devo Bhava” shelved, as the nation struggled to survive the worst disease outbreak in recent times.
As temples and tourist places closed doors and the nation went into lockdown mode, the travel and tourism industry faced never-before-seen periods of loss and inactivity. In a nation struggling to keep the foundation of its economy stable, tourism was put on the backburner to wait out the period of COVID-19’s peak.
With the nation slowly unlocking itself after a slew of prolonged lockdowns, travel is slowly regaining its pulse again. However, a nation that was earlier travelling for leisure is now looking at travelling with trepidation and has restricted itself largely to essential travel, only to be undertaken in the most urgent circumstances.
Even with tourist places such as the Gir Lion Sanctuary and the Similipal National Park reopening for tourists, the expected tourist footfall is way lower than figures from the past few years. This has made communities living in and around tourist places worried as their stream of livelihood is drying up.
Experts believe that tourism in India will only bounce back to normal when India will have the protection of an effective vaccine and the population will have immunity against the COVID-19 virus. And that is, unfortunately, going to take a while.
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