The tourism sector was adversely affected by COVID-19 as we all had to lock ourselves inside our houses, however the good thing is that for some time now, people have started travelling to different cities and locations and they have once again started enjoying their lives.
However, the experts are experiencing a new trend in the travelling preferences of travelers, the most popular monument spots are experiencing very less footfalls in comparison to the footfalls that they used to get before the pandemic. The top five monuments (Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Konark’s Sun Temple, Qutub Minar and Agra Fort) for domestic travelers experienced 11-33 percent less footfalls in 2023 in comparison to 2019 and top five monuments (Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Qutub Minar, Humayun’s Tomb and Fatehpur Sikri) for international visitors got 50-80 percent less footfall in 2023 in comparison to 2019.
If we talk about the reasons behind the new travelling preferences, here are some of them cited by travelling agents and experts:
1. Increased interest in outdoor and adventure activities such as – biking, trekking/hiking, camping, river rafting, yachting, parasailing and zip lining, safaris and jungle adventures and wellness holidays for the purpose of rejuvenating themselves.
2. People now prefer to explore the hidden or unexplored places rather than going to those places which are crowded and popular among tourists.
3. Lack of proper maintenance of these monuments
One interesting reason that a travel agent revealed for people not visiting Taj Mahal is, “Just look at the options — such as pastry shops and boat rides — one has around the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Even locals visit with their families. This is not the case with the Taj Mahal.”
Which place would you like to visit on your next vacation?
