One of the most important impacts of Covid-19 has been the change in our behavioural traits. Social distancing has become a new norm, and it is believed that when tourism returns after the pandemic ends, social distancing will still retain primacy in our behaviour at least for a few years. This means that the nature of human interaction at a destination will become more important, and people will be careful about travel distance and safety when choosing a destination.

Travel distance from Western countries has always been an issue for peripheral destinations. In the case of Nepal, distance is already very inelastic, and unlikely to impact more than what it is now. However, the issues of safety need to be addressed concretely instead of merely reassuring potential visitors through marketing and promotion. Medical insurance might become more prominent and another key factor in choosing a destination. It might be helpful if there’s a way the government can provide some relief on medical insurance for tourists when they come back.

Calling adventurers

The question of social distancing also means that mass tourism might take more time to restart; and if it does, it will be different than what it is now. This has the advantage that Nepal is a niche destination with a distinctive brand image of adventure-based activities. This could be helpful because it has been established that adventure tourists are more resilient. Additionally, Nepal’s strong association with spiritualism can be a huge asset. If travel connections are well restored, Nepal is more likely to return to normal before some of the more advanced destinations. Though this advantage has a downside that it will be difficult to introduce new destinations within the country as people will be less interested in trying new places during uncertain times, suggesting that the benefit of tourism is more likely to remain skewed in favour of established locations in the country.

A way this can be corrected is through the development of more reliable, standardised rural destinations like village tourism and homestays. However, there is a caveat that Nepal has always promoted a strong element of human interaction when promoting such destinations, through a focus on friendly people and culture. Visitor concerns over this nature of our rural attractions need to be addressed, possibly through an emphasis on the ‘enclaved’ nature of lifestyle in our villages. Since Nepal’s villages do not have a very strong international exposure, the chances of spreading viral infections are less likely. The government might also carry out Covid-19 tests for the entire village when homestays are reoffered to reassure tourists that it is perfectly okay for them to book their holidays. Big tour companies might also consider forging a collaborative alliance with village destinations and homestays to market and bring in more tourists.

Domestic tourism could be a saviour. However, there are limitations in that we know very little about our middle class, their consumption behaviours and travel preferences. There are still social sanctions in terms of people’s ability to translate their leisure time into tourism. In the absence of information on the travel preferences of domestic visitors, it is very difficult to tune the nature of travel products and services for them. A study by this author showed that when it comes to leisure travel, there are many constraints that originate from our cultural orientation, beliefs and values. Mostly, this is negotiated through religious pilgrimages, suggesting that the domestic market is unlikely to compensate for activities such as trekking and mountaineering. It might be useful to survey bigger metropolitan cities in the country to understand the Nepali middle class, which can help tourism service providers in tuning their products and services to the domestic market.

There are challenges on the supply side as well. Scholars have remarked that post-Covid-19, the role of the state will increase. Given that the Nepali state already plays a considerable role in governing tourism affairs, there will be minimal changes. However, the state might need to play a more instrumental role in ensuring the safety and security of tourists, for which investment in healthcare services on the popular trekking routes will be very important. There is a big chance that the need for the state’s role will be misinterpreted in Nepal, and there may be unsolicited interest and government intervention in promotional activities. This can severely constrict the role and relevance of the tourism promotional body.

No more brochures or CDs

Concerns over social distancing mean that the practice of distributing paper brochures and CD ROMs for promotion needs to be totally disbanded, even in domestic markets. The digital element will be more important in promotion. Digital payments will be preferred. There is one danger with regard to the supply side that the agencies responsible might compare it with previous crises in tourism like SARS, 9/11, the Gulf War or the 2015 earthquake. What makes this crisis different is that the scale of its impact on people’s lives in the affected source markets is much more immense.

Behind every death, there is a person who is someone’s mum, dad, wife, child or family. This makes the task of tourism promotion much more challenging. After tourism reopens, every content used in the promotional media will be scrutinised by the people and the media as the whole world will still be mourning the death of their near ones. Learning from the fiasco during Visit Nepal 2020 when they thoughtlessly launched a promotional programme in the midst of the Australian bushfire, national promotional agencies will have to take extra care when designing their promotional campaign as it will be tested for compliance with ethics and human sensibilities.

***

What do you think?

Dear reader, we’d like to hear from you. We regularly publish letters to the editor on contemporary issues or direct responses to something the Post has recently published. Please send your letters to [email protected] with "Letter to the Editor" in the subject line. Please include your name, location, and a contact address so one of our editors can reach out to you.