Pent-up demand seen driving revenge travel

Nothing like wanderlust to beat the pandemic blues. ’Tis the season to journey after millions missed their annual vacations and trips home to their loved ones last year. The world is coming alive again despite the devastation caused by the coronavirus. Global travel is seeing a revival after more than a year of coronavirus-induced lockdowns and curbs that stopped the world in its tracks. There is, in fact, a surge in people flying to beach destinations and tourist spots across the world from the UAE which is itself attracting millions of visitors who are here for the Expo. Cases, however, are rising in Europe which could upend travel plans to the continent. Such dampeners ahead of the long year-ending holiday season have been taken in the stride. There’s no time to tarry but to journey, and carry on from where we left off.

Air fares have skyrocketed but passengers are not holding back on their spends. They aren’t looking back and splurging on journeys that didn’t happen last year. They are venturing out to a masked normal after getting their two doses in the hope that things will be the same on their trips again. Welcome to the age of revenge travel where people are going place with gusto. They are making up for lost time. There’s a lot of ground to cover by air, train, ship and or after 2021was lost in the Covid wilderness for millions of people. Operators are calling it pent up demand. Revenge travel is sweet because people have realised the meaning of loss and suffering. They are forgetting distances and the distress with long journeys and short trips to connect again with friends and family. Some like being left alone on these journeys. Many are launching new ventures as they foray abroad again and find new hope after the gloom that enveloped us only a year ago.

For others revenge travel may be about finding a purpose in life and striking a balance between work and home. Revenge travel is also about working from remote locations while enjoying the simple pleasures of life. Taking a trek and relaxing on the beach before a virtual call with colleagues thousands of miles away is now a reality. Who knows, it could be a way of life soon if it hasn’t already happened yet. Mobile offices are springing up and travel is now being reclassified as a ‘need’. A recent survey from SAP Concur said 96 per cent of 3.850 business travellers in 25 global markets are eager to travel again for work. Eighty per cent admit that unless they travel, their professional lives will suffer. That’s good news for the travel industry which is seeing record hotel and flight bookings. For those on a budget, there are always road trips and domestic travel options on offer. People realise that travel is worth it personally and professionally. And as long as they are jabbed and travel safely and stay away from crowds, there is hope that life will be normal again.

• Dubai