63% willing to travel in 3 months, 70% rule out overseas travel: CII survey

The Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) has found that 63 per cent of people it surveyed in northern India are gearing to travel within three months of relaxation of the coronavirus lockdown, but most of them have ruled out any international travel.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the survey was conducted online among a limited sample of 250 respondents across Chandigarh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

The survey has also found that post the coronavirus lockdown, hygiene standards maintained by hotels would be the single most important deciding factor for tourists while selecting the place of stay.

Around 68 per cent of the respondents said hygiene standards would determine their choice of hotels.

Around 59 per cent of the respondents said use of protective gear was the most important precaution they would take during travel, with Aarogya Setu App being the preferred choice of around one fifth of the respondents.

Close to two thirds of the respondents would like to travel within three months of relaxation of the lockdown. Around 17 per cent of people said they saw travel as an important means of rejuvenation.

While 33 per cent of the respondents are likely to resume travel within a month, about 30 per cent said they would wait for three months. However, about seven per cent of the respondents said that they would prefer to wait for a year.

"More than 70 per cent of the respondents would prefer domestic travel only. Over one fourth of respondents would like to travel both within India and abroad. Only 1.4 per cent of respondents have shown preference for overseas travel," the survey said.

The survey also found that most people are likely to travel for business (37.4 per cent) while around 32 per cent said that they could plan outings to their extended families. However, only 2.4 per cent said they would make advance bookings.

Nature, wildlife and hill stations account for over two thirds of the kind of tourism the respondents would prefer.

Both air and train travel in the country is restricted due to the lockdown till May 31. While both the aviation and railway ministries have opened in a graded manner, only emergency travel is being encouraged.

¨Results of the survey indicate the impact of COVID-19 on thinking of people with focus on travel and tourism taking a bit of a back seat. However, it is heartening to note that people are still looking at tourism as a means of rejuvenation which translates to potential opportunities once people learn to live with COVID-19," the survey said.

"Shortly after the virus is contained, international travel may not be a priority for majority of population due to COVID-19 impact. Challenges will be greater for airports, cruise lines and airlines, which tend to attract large crowds in relatively small and confined space," it pointed out.