Staycations turn long-term concept as remote work culture picking up
While tourism and hospitality have taken a hit due to Covid, new ways are being reimagined for people to step out and explore. Staycations are one of them and they are here to stay for long
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The world is still adapting to the new normal. Confined to their homes and with melancholy seeping in behind the shut doors, people are seeking to satiate their wanderlust closer home. In the post-Covid world, while tourism and hospitality have taken a hit, new ways are being reimagined for people to step out and explore. Staycations are one of them and they are here to stay for long.
Tourism as an instinct wouldn't go away. While travelling is not going to be on the cards for a while, the entire demand for the change of scenery will be funnelled to the Weekend homes industry. In fact, as rules across various states have been relaxed, we are seeing that nothing is holding people back from hitting the road. And why not? Since most of the professionals continue to work from home today, all that is required is a good internet connection and a laptop, even if that means you are sitting in the middle of the forest with a picnic basket.
Remote work culture takes it to the next level
With the remote work culture gathering pace swiftly and being the future of work, staycations are a long term concept. Tech giants like Twitter, Google, Microsoft, and several Indian companies have gone remote and had their employees to work from home even during the no-lockdown times this pandemic.
People are travelling by the cars to nearby places for mini vacations because it is the safest mode of transport with minimum exposure to other people when compared with the public modes. People becoming culturally sensitive and focusing on gaining localised experiences are taking staycations to the next level. Less interaction with strangers and one can bask in the serenity of nature or spend quality family time while they work.
This alone is indicative that staycations are the 'new normal' that involves enough social distancing. So, yes! Staycations are a long term concept. This brings us to the next big boom in the segment of weekend homes. The concept of Weekend homes is derived from the idea of having a quality time at a place where you can be yourself without any disturbance. While the weekend home segment is in demand, many developers are also creating weekend properties in such a way that the entire affair is hassle-free for the owner.
Developers tuning in to the trends
With the luxury of owning a weekend home, comes the pain point of maintaining it and many buyers go away because of this factor. But with the immense scope of staycations, many weekend home developers are integrating their services in such a way that amenities are managed and all-round housekeeping and maintenance are taken care of. Such innovations are grabbing the attention of fence-sitters and attracting them to buy a weekend home. They can let it out for rental or come and stay with friends and family whenever they feel like breaking away from the urban chaos. With such new, flexible models of travelling, owning a holiday home and earning a passive revenue popping up, now is the ripe time for any interested buyer to consider the option of weekend homes - you reap the optimum benefits of staycation and also save up money.
Domestic leisure and travel is set to pick up in the coming years as people find flying abroad not safe yet. As travellers are under the constant stress of hygiene, safety measures and facilities, the hospitality sector is designing stay experiences based on work-from-home models. Hence, with the entire tourism and hospitality industry remodelling themselves for long domestic stays, indoor experiences and hassle-free travel of customers, staycations are more than just a Covid-19 trend. They are definitely here to stay for long.
(The author is the CEO and MD of Nirvana Realty, a Mumbai-based luxury home developer)
