Work vacations in vogue as Covid cases drop

Pune: The scene from the Bollywood movie Zindagi Naa Milegi Dobara in which Hrithik Roshan’s character abruptly stops the car at a scenic valley to log on to his laptop and interact with a client, is steadily inspiring a number of tourists.
Travelling for leisure while logging onto work or online classes is slowly catching on and people are approaching travel agents for a working vacation as Covid-19 cases continue to drop.Even with restrictions in place, like having an RT-PCR negative report not older than 48 to 72 hours, travel inquiries are on the rise.
Many engaged with the travel industry said that though most queries were yet to convert into bookings, the fact that people have started enquiring can be seen as a healthy sign. “People have called us requesting quotations for travel to places like Goa, Coorg, Manali and Ooty during the monsoon. The second wave hit during the peak summer, when people usually take vacations. Now, they want to travel during the monsoon,” said Santosh Gupta, owner of Shree Vinayak Holidays.
He added that the work from home regime and online classes for students weren’t a deterrent anymore. “It is a sort of work vacation trend that is slowly catching up. People can easily travel with their laptops and other electronic devices so they can attend important meetings while on a vacation,” Gupta added.
Nilesh Bhansali, director of Travel Agents Association of Pune, also said that the number of enquiries has increased lately. “While it is a good sign, things will be clear only after June 20. Many states are under lockdown and many big hotels have shut down due to losses. One has to wait for another 10 days to get a better picture,” said Bhansali.
Manohar Sharma, who got back from a trip to Goa in March, is planning to travel there in July. “I have been working from home and I didn’t feel the need to take leave for a vacation. So, I went to Goa, relaxed on the beach and worked too. I am planning to go again next month but this time I will take leave,” said Sharma, who works with a private firm.
IT professional Akanksha Neeraj, who travelled to Shimla in January, said, “Every good hotel room now has a proper Wi-Fi connection so joining an important meeting or quickly sending some data to a client while on vacation is normal now.”