Workation | Global travel trend amid lockdown
Apr 25, 2021
Coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns left corporates with no choice but to operate remotely. The employees working on sites had to work from home for the longest time. And now with the second wave of COVID-19, the work from home trend doesn't seem to end anytime soon. Severity of the situation did confine people to their tables and chairs at home, which was definitely a little different from a traditional office setup. But one thing that gained popularity amidst this pandemic as soon as restrictions were lifted was that people started booking resorts, villas, hotels in remote places contributing towards a new global trend of "Workation".
Lockdown turned vacations into workations and several accommodations across the country and globe started promoting this trend. The essentials for workation comprises all COVID protocols in place, strong WiFi, mobile network and food. The workation gives all the feels of a vacation with work included.
In late 2020, people started booking places in Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Goa, Coorg, Kerala, Uttarakhand etc. to escape the feeling of being locked in at one place for months together. As most people were isolating at home, travelling did seem like a rescue so workations became popular. Even the thought of waking up in the middle of majestic mountains or serene beaches helped many to kick anxiety and fear out of the door.
Since a major chunk of the year was spent in lockdown, people wanted to travel so when restrictions were lifted last year, people chose to turn work-from-home opportunity into workation.
Travelling in these tough times comes with its own challenges and it majorly depends on the respondents to take more precautions and create normality for themselves.
With the second wave of coronavirus in 2021, it is an established fact that working remotely has entered the mainstream so people will have to combine leisure and work in their own ways again. Definitely, travellers would prefer visiting lesser known destinations over crowded places like last year. The alternative destinations will be preferred in 2021 also once restrictions are uplifted.
The pandemic has also helped people to question their choices and its impact on locals and surroundings. Coronavirus might have halted 2020 and 2021 travel plans but "workation trend" is here to stay for the longer term. People will also decide to opt for sustainable travel options in future.
The global travel trends are being revised amidst pandemic and lockdowns. Since tourism is a major economic contributor, there is a possibility in near future for people to travel with vaccine certificates to prove their immunity. Multiple surveys conducted by various travel aggregators suggest that more than 70 percent of travellers will think twice to spend money on travelling and even if they decide so, people will choose lesser-known domestic destinations only.
