As tourism rebounds, the travel industry must evolve to create a Covid-ready destination

The tourism industry has been hit the worst due to the Coronavirus-induced lockdown. As per some estimates, the loss incurred by India’s tourism is projected to be 10 lakh crores, with an estimated four five people losing their jobs.

As the world learns to live with Coronavirus, says an article published in Firstpost, India’s tourism industry too must evolve to create “a Covid-ready destination”. This should also be sustainable and resilient in the long run.

According to the Firstpost article, in order to accommodate itself in the present condition, India’s tourism industry has to “assess and enforce carrying capacity to enable social distancing”.

Another aspect that needs urgent attention is waste management in India’s tourism hotspots. In the ‘new normal’, says the article, the tourism industry needs to “ramp up waste management to deal with the hazards of biomedical waste” such as face mask, senitizers, and gloves”.

The article also suggests the use of tourism as “a means to develop better places to live” by focusing on the needs of the local community. This can be done by “incentivising the preservation of their traditional way of life” and, at the same time, helping them get access to urban conveniences.

The article also advocates “strict laws against the abuse of animals to prevent future zoonotic diseases.” and “initiate a campaign for travellers to embrace slow and responsible travel.”

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