Changes in tourism after COVID-19

The current situation throughout the world is such that, i am playing a furious apocalypse game and I have to survive till the  last; sounds nostalgic no! but the truth is much more dangerous and scary. This virus has now establishing new benchmarks in counts of either deaths or being infected. Though our scientists and scholars are inclined towards developing the vaccine so that the life can be back on track.

Under such situation many organizations are struggling for their existence, and many are such worsely hit that they are almost on the verge of being closed.Similarly countries are also facing financial crisis in order to which organizations are looking for innovative ideas or alternatives which can act as gamechanger for them. 

Among these large industries one of them is tourism industry which has been played a very crucial role in the growth of several country's GDP. And even  some countries are highly depended on this industry. Countries like Maldives, Macao, Thailand, Belize, Cambodia are some of them. Although at certain places domestic flights and travelling has been started but still it is not as such as it was in past.

Similarly various other industries which is directly or indirectly dependent on tourism industry is also facing a severe fever time. Transportation industry is none different as it is the major stakeholder in the tourism industry. So, below are some of the important changes which one will experience in tourism industry after everything gets back on track.

1. Mindset of travellers will change

As travelling after the pandemic will adversely affect the mindset of the travellers. As earlier travellers were giving preference to the comfort and personalized service, their attention will be more on safety, precautions and will be more alert about their surroundings.

2. Tourism will not be leisure driven

Now the travellers will be giving preference to their health and would avoid unnecessary vacation or travelling. So somewhere or the other the motivations will also change and more travelling will be of  business types with all the necessary safety and precautions.

3.  Hygiene will be priority

Though hygiene and cleanliness was always important in the past but now it will be the utmost priority and the travellers will ensure this criteria the most whenever they will be travelling to a particular destination. now the level of cleanliness should also be better than ever in order to attract customers. For example earlier clothes of different people were washed in same machine still it was hygienic but now they have to wash it separately in order to ensure 100% safety to their guests.

4. GITs will lose popularity

People will surely not travel in groups and will also avoid crowded destinations even recreational points. So the destinations will also be now wisely chosen by the travel agents and other travel package creators in order to attract customers.

5. Natural/Ecotourism will flourish

People will be more inclined to travel towards nature and would primarily avoid urban hustle-bustle. Nature is capable of refreshing people and releasing all types of mental pressure. Few people also practice meditation and yoga under ecotourism which will be again a plus point to this travel. In order of which organizations will be making efforts to preserve the natural places and wildlife as it will foster travel and also ensure sustainability among travellers and local people. 

6. Tourism organizations have to amend their policies

Surely after such a furious pandemic certain important factors had to be altered for the continuous flow in the market. Standards of cleanliness will surely be increased and will be inspected rigorously in the process of providing safe tangible tourism products. Organizations will also make changes in the policies and programmes which when will be implemented, definitely ensure growth of tourism. 

Funmorphic Rajasthan

Recently i have been on a 5 night 6 days tour of our college to rajasthan triangle and the most visited destinations, which were Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur.

It was a fantastic experience and the food there and the culture were just beyond the imagination.

Old Memories

Since my childhood I was surrounded by the culturally diverse locality, during my school days my neighbors were rajasthani and whenever I use to enter in their house I was just transported into some different world.

Though everyone's house in the locality were same but the way they have decorated their home was worth discussing.

That Rajasthani turban and handicrafts, shoes made from camel leather and sovereigns made up of camel bone was some of the iconic stuff i witnessed there.

So from that time i was too much fascinated to visit Rajasthan. So let me share my experience of these 6 days.

Bikaner

Whenever I use to hear this word I always remember Bikharam Chandimal of which I use to have sweets and namkeens in my childhood. I guess Indians can relate to this brand.

The first impression i had when i entered Bikaner and i am sure that u all will also have once is that the city is quite vibrant and enthusiastic and obviously spicy food is the trademark of the place. 

Then the hotel i stayed in was Mahadev Palace and then moved out for Junagarh fort which is the most famous fort in the city and was known as Chintamani Mahal before 20th century as after that the royal family left the fort. entry fees is Rs.50 for indians. 

The city Bikaner was established by Rao Bikaji in 1488 he came from Jodpur to establish the city. The junagarh fort was started to built by the 6th king Raja Rai singh in 1588 and was completed by 21st  Raja Ganga Singh in 1937.

When you will see the fort you will be just mesmerized with the architectural beauty it offers and the beautiful carvings is just worth remembering. Also inside the fort you will find balconies, gardens, kiosks, verandah etc.

Next I visited to the Rats temple which was the most incredible to see and was situated 

 about 30km away from Bikaner in Deshnoke. The Karani Mata Mandir  which was just filled with rats. Though i had heard about it earlier but never seen it, so when i entered the temple it was stinking with the smell of rats but the crowd was enjoying the company of these snippers.

The most shocking fact for me was that local people was having the prashad from the same vessel from which the rats were snipping. i asked few locals about that they said that this is there tradition and nobody has yet disturbed by the disease which can be caused by rats. 

Infront of the temple there was karni mata museum where you can find the stories related with the temple and the belief that whosoever dies in the village gets the birth of rat in this temple and if the rat dies it born as human in the village.  

Jaisalmer

After the memorable visit to Bikaner I moved forward to my next destination and then reached Gadi Sagar Lake. The lake was just beyond my imagination and i will suggest you all to kindly visit this beauty if you are around. 

I have witnessed the beauty and decided to do boating which was Rs.50 per person. The lake at the time of sunset was just the icing on the cake and was adding to its generic beauty.

On asking locals i found out that this lake is artificial reservoir which was built around 13th century and this lake was used by locals for their daily water usage.

then after the overnight stay in a hotel i was ready for new experience in Jaisalmer as it was so fascinated to roam around the city.

Next stop of mine was Patwon ki Haveli which was architecturally so artistic it left me spellbound for few minutes. The entry cost is Rs.20 for Indians and Rs. 100 for foreigner. It was 3 storey above and 2 storey below. It was built in 1805 by Guman Chand and in 1965 the haveli was bought by Kothari which was the wealthiest family of Jodhpur.

There are old antiques inside the Bunglow such as Coins, weights, books, utensils, dresses and much more its just worth visiting.

After a flashback to the lifestyle of the patwons(merchants of Rajasthan) it was time to explore the sight for which the Jaisalmer is being known for which was Jaisalmer Fort.

It is a living fort and is made up of yellow sandstone due to which it appears golden. It was built by Rawal Jaisal in 1155AD.

There is several houses, shops, Gopa n Dussera Chowk, jain temples, Lakshminath temples, Vyas Chattris, Shreenath Palace, Raj mahal and numerous other masterpieces in the premises of the Fort.

Rs. 50 for Indians, Rs. 250 for foreigners, Rs. 50 for photography and Rs.100 for videography.

Then after such a memorable visit to Jaisalmer i visited to the sand dunes for the crazy Jeep safari and Camel Safari. After that in evening there was the cultural dance show near the camp so i visited there also and saw the traditional dance and stunts.

Jodhpur

The blue city of Rajasthan and the second largest city of the state which was founded by Rao Jodha of Mandore. 

The houses are painted blue just to reduce the heat of the sun and maintain the temperature inside the house.

Scene from Mehrangarh fort 

My next stop in Jodhpur was Mehrangarh Fort which was built by the founder of the city and it is one of the largest fort in India. There is several palaces, antiques, museum and carved courtyards.

There are temples like Chamunda Mataji Temple and Nagnechiji temple also you can enjoy the zip lining activity which will surely provide you the enjoyable experience.

Moreover there is also Sheesh Mahal(mirror hall), Moti Mahal(glass-painted courtroom), Phool Mahal(leisure room for royals) and Zenana Deodi(women's quaters).

The entry fees to the museum is Rs. 60 for Indians and Rs. 400 for foreigners.

As the trip was coming to the end i was falling more and more in love with the Rajasthan and the culture here along with the vibrant people.

So, the last but not the least stop is the Palace where the Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra married and that is Umaid Bhawan. The moment i reach the place, i was able to feel the royalty with the well dressed gate keepers and the staff.

The first impression of the palace was such which cannot be described in words. It was just fabulous architecture and designing and hats off to the staff working hard to maintain the palace.

This palace is owned by Gaj Singh and the architecture style is Saracenic Architecture. There is a Section for the vintage cars in which the Rolls Royce, Road master and Mercedes are being preserved for display.

Nowadays the part of palace is under Taj Hotels and is available for the people to feel the sense of royalty during their stay or visit in the palace.

By such a memorable and unforgettable visit to Rajasthan my tour was about to end. Still i enjoyed a lot and learnt many new things about people, culture and society.

There are numerous other cities and sights which will be discussed in future. so till then enjoy yourselves, keep travelling and stay tuned.