Remember the news where people across the country flocked Manali and the hotels ran out of rooms? The crowd waiting outside these hotels resembled the (scary, but nostalgic for a few) Mumbai local trains. This was soon after the government of Himachal Pradesh removed the mandatory requirement of negative RT-PCR tests. The influx of tourists was the result of the phenomenon that we now know as “Revenge Travel”. In this article, we would explore, discover all that we can about this rare, yet interesting category in travel & tourism.
Revenge Travel for Dummies
‘Revenge Travel’ or ‘Revenge Tourism’ can be defined as the phenomenon wherein people wish to break free from their daily routine or the mundane lifestyle that has resulted due to the “new normal” in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. Revenge Travel, from a medical perspective, also grew out of a condition that has been described as “lockdown fatigue” or “exhaustion” that accelerates because of the monotonous life.
To put it in simple words, people are fed up with the same routine, working from home, unable to step out in the fear of contracting the disease. This has resulted in some kind of fatigue that makes them want to escape to new destinations, and that’s how revenge travel came into existence.
From ‘No Beds’ to ‘No Rooms’ in Two Waves
Two colossal COVID-19 waves might seem like ages, but that’s all it took for Indians to go from ‘No beds in hospitals’ to ‘No rooms in hotels’. As the COVID-19 cases began to dip, many people felt even more determined to make up for the lost time and started looking out for places where they can break free and unplug from the mundane. It was more about getting their mental health back rather than getting new pictures for their Facebook or Instagram.
The purpose of Revenge Travel was triggered by a rather unfortunate series of events. If the pandemic was out of the equation, the tourism and hospitality industry would have been in a different dimension altogether. Advertising in this industry has been hit with a different intensity and the after-effects are rippling. As long as there are restrictions on travel, promoting tourism is out of the question. As long as the faith of the brands is not entrusted in the government and its process, there will be differences in opinions and ‘Revenge Travel’ will stay a popular trend. But, if advertising plays its role pretty well and becomes the bridge between the brands, the industry and the government, ‘Revenge’ will be eliminated from ‘Travel & Tourism’.
Travel like there’s no tomorrow
Today’s generation has its life all figured out (at least they think they do). Their focus is to spend more time doing stuff that makes them happy. Money is not their problem. Time is. They think that the pandemic is robbing them of their precious time and the millennial generation feels like time needs to be protected at any cost. Making the most of every moment is what this generation strives for.
Revenge Tourism is here to stay for a while and those who are fully vaccinated now are feeling the pinch of the new variant in town. The frustration is building up. Advertising, clearly, has nothing much to do or say here, but as advertisers, all we can do is make it clear to the world that the right kind of communication is the need of the hour and spreading rumours about the pandemic will only lead to further chaos and even more complicated restrictions that we are not ready to accept anymore.
At 3 Dots Design Pvt. Ltd., it is our prime duty and responsibility to ensure the safety of our employees, our clients and our business. The world might embark upon ‘Revenge Travel’ all they want, but hoping that they are not misinformed about any rules or regulations, or anything that can take us closer towards the Third Wave, is what we, as one of the best ad agencies in Pune, would want to ensure. On a lighter note, we are craving for one ‘Revenge Travel’ ourselves but we are holding back our thoughts on practical grounds.