WE HAVE A PLETHORA OF SITES, DESTINATIONS, MONUMENTS,
FAUNA FLORA, ADVENTURE AND WILDLIFE
If you would like to summarize the learnings from 2021, then what would they be?
Jyoti Mayal. 2021 was truly a year of learning amidst confusion, frustration & hope. The three words that immediately come to my mind would be “resilient” “adaptable” & “my family & me.” What happened in these last two years couldn’t be imagined by anyone in their wildest of dreams. A series of unpredictable challenges kept erupting which made us quick to adapt & go the extra mile as per the situation demands & become resilient. We adapted to the changed environment, demographic of the traveller, the destination & most effectively the digital world. We also became obsessed & paranoid in protecting are loved ones, as each relationship was & is vital.
Top trends in 2022?
Jyoti Mayal. Everything what we speak is speculation in this world of new learnings. Speaking from the wise man’s perspective the strong sentiment that I believe 2022 would bring, would be Hope with a Positive attitude. The trend would be, to keep a check on reality and work accordingly to re-establish in the market and revive business and focus on generating income instead of waiting for the right time but surely not forgetting to be cautious & follow the new norms diligently. The trends in tourism will be more of reunion travel, better technology, virtual reality tours with more focus on wellness, spiritual & rural tourism. Sustainable tourism will be the buzz word. TAAI is working with certain Indian destinations to create experiences which would be sustainable & inclusive. I also believe business travel will be back as it cannot sustain non presence interactions & transactions. The third quarter will surely see tourism bounce back with much more vigour & multiple numbers. The variant of the virus may keep evolving but its strength will certainly weaken & we will have to be smarter than the virus & learn to navigate it away from our lives by adopting the safety procedures.
What will be your plans for 2022?
Jyoti Mayal. As President TAAI, Vice Chairperson FAITH, Chairperson THSC, my plans would be to continue looking for opportunities for TAAI members, indulge in more skilling & upskilling, working closely with government bodies & stake holders to bring effective ease of business, protection of cash & inculcate hope and a positive attitude to revive the travel & tourism industry to all possible levels. As an association Chair I would continue to deliver to my best to urge the government, as well to have policies resonating with the travel and tourism industry’s best of interest and further pursue relaxation in terms of the tax cut and uniform travel guidelines among others so as to let the industry revive. India is truly a country made for tourism. We have a plethora of sites, destinations, monuments, fauna flora, adventure, wildlife & much-much more, along with culture, heritage, cuisine, crafts etc. This page would run out of space in the listing & I strongly believe that we had missed the opportunity to make India the largest & strongest hub between the east & west & as the world is once again reinventing, we need to focus on this huge opportunity the crisis has brought.
What message would you like to give to the industry?
Jyoti Mayal. During the MICE expo I had concluded my discussion on “if you are not willing to learn no one can help you, if you are determined to learn no one can stop you,” so to continue from there, I would like to add that the world is a platform where everyone gets a fair chance to perform and achieve, it is in our hands whether we want to crib about the bad times or to see a silver lining and cash the opportunity.Let us work together in a collaborated, coordinated manner to achieve our vision milestones & make this a robust, self-sustainable industry. Begin your new year on a joyous and positive note and definitely, you will see the results. I would like to quote Whitman who said, “Keep your face always toward the sunshine, and shadows will fall behind you.” Happy 2022!! God Bless!!
