The surge of post pandemic travel has led to strong consumer demand for unique experiences especially nature and wellness focused travel. Growing number of holistic eco-centric and culturally sensitive travel ventures are emerging to capture this demand. From the consumer side discerning travellers, both individuals and families are seeking out mindful itineraries in Tier 2 and 3 cities that can cater to pilgrimage travel, heritage tours, Ayurvedic retreats, adventure sports and activities off the beaten track. These observations were made by Shruti Shibulal, CEO and Director of Tamara Leisure Experiences. She was speaking on the sidelines of the 20th Edition of India Innovation Summit- CII India INNOVERGE 2024.
“Carefully selecting to develop the right destinations to suit domestic as well as international travelers is an important responsibility of the tourism industry today. With emerging tourist destinations, we have the opportunity to design sustainable tourism practices that work symbiotically with local communities and with local landscapes, ensuring that the increased demand for travel to these locations is marked by mutual and lasting benefits to local economies. For instance, we need to be watchful of implementing typical templates for tourism development, such as the placement of large scale resorts and mega hotel chains which cannot be supported by the infrastructure available in smaller towns or cities. It may also deter travellers seeking out more homegrown and authentic experiences,” remarked Shibulal.
She pointed out that thoughtful preservation of cultural heritage and local traditions and service offerings can enhance the long term appeal of Tier 2 and 3 destinations in India and it helps in opening a new stream of sustainable revenue and mitigates overcrowding in popular destinations.
Unprecedented opportunities are there for the industry to reshape how travel is experienced and communicated. There has also been an expanding universe of online booking channels, travel communities, trip planning apps, and review forums. These tools are not just facilitators of convenience, they are powerful engines for storytelling. Digital platforms offer a unique avenue for new and small scale businesses to enter the tourism market without the traditional barriers of large scale marketing budgets or extensive networks, the democratization of access. It also businesses to tell their stories directly to potential travelers, highlighting the sustainability and authenticity of their offerings,” added Shibulal.
Speaking at the summit, Vikram Cotah, the Chief Executive Officer, GRT Hotels observed that post Covid people are very worried about their wellness and well being which is not only physical but also mental well being. “People are spending money on wellness travel and want to take holidays which are about wellness. We are building longevity retreats and are going to combine Ayurveda, Tibetan medicine and combine biohacking etc.
He said that biophilia luxury is a new trend in hospitality where people start taking care of nature. These unique experiences can be in wildlife sanctuaries, it can be in forests or it can be anywhere, so people start appreciating nature and start taking care of nature. They can be experienced by anyone.
He noted that AI today can do a lot of stuff and a lot of personalized experiences, and the hotel industry is leveraging AI and that's where innovation is going to take place more and more. “I think the hotel industry is the biggest collector of art today. In one of our hotels in Chennai, we have 40 photographs which were taken in 1900s. We blew them up as headboards. So these are old Chennai pictures and we call it the Madras memories. It's like a museum. The entire flow. People come and stay there just to stay in these rooms and look at these pictures. These are copyrighted photographs which the Dutch photographer had exposed on glass plates. So we took it and digitized them and we blew it up into headboards,” remarked Cotah.
The three-day summit was inaugurated by Priyank Kharge, the Minister for Electronics, Information Technology and Biotechnology, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Government of Karnataka.
The summit focused on discussions and deliberations around sectors such as Manufacturing and Industry 4.0, Mobility-Automotive and Transportation, Semiconductors, Tourism & Hospitality, Healthcare & Med Tech, Energy Transition/Sustainability, Education and Skilling, Space sector, Agri and Food, Retail and E-Commerce.
