Staycations, Wellness Retreats Growing Trends Of New Normal
What gave rise to the trend – With the pandemic hitting us in early 2020; life as we knew it, came to a standstill. And with the mystery surrounding this virus, also came the fear. New words were added to our vocabulary that didn’t exist, new behaviors had to be adopted & adapted; and everyone started being aware of the invisible enemy.
Offices had to be shut down, but work could not stop. Working from home while being considered a luxury earlier, soon became a liability. Limited space & resources at home, made this arrangement increasingly difficult for the employees. Hotels lay empty even after the Lockdown restrictions and to stay afloat needed some revenues. While there was no business travel or vacations, a lot of hotels offered a Staycation package where the guests could stay for an extended period at extremely attractive prices, that allowed them to work from their hotel rooms, in a safe environment and have a team of service staff, attend to their needs.
While there was hope the pandemic would end towards the end of 2020, the second wave that hit in early 2021 brought the country to its knees. COVID proved to be the ultimate leveler. Money, power, status, access to the best medical facilities did not matter, if your body was not strong enough to fight it. This brought about a change in the perspectives of people and more and more of them started seeking an element of wellness in all aspects of their lives and vacation. Guest can expect to be pampered to the hilt as well as given an elevated level of service that would include some aspect of health and wellness from the staycation.
Our country’s natural beauty is enviable across the globe. It has a lot to offer in terms of the travel be it beaches, Hill stations, wildlife, nature, and wellness retreats etc. There is little bit of everything for travel aficionados. Destinations like Goa, Himachal and Kerala are predominantly popular among the travelers and will see a huge demand in the coming months as COVID-19 cases in India start receding and the vaccination drive picks up pace.
The Journey of travelling by road used to be an integral part of holidays and I think the world will go back to appreciating driving for holidays and to destinations that will bring the charm back as well as allow a family to spend more time. People will start finding virtue in the beauty of their own country.
