DNA Explainer: Revenge travel - What is it and why is it worrying the government

Visuals of streets jampacked with tourists coming from Himalayan hill stations like Manali, Mussoorie and Shimla have alarmed the government.

In a press conference, the Union Ministry of Health secretary Lav Agarwal noted that the phenomenon of “revenge travel” was unfolding as Indians comes out of their homes after months of lockdown. He further added that revenge travel is dangerous with the fight against COVID-19 still underway. He said, “We can nullify the ease of restrictions again if protocols are not complied with.”

Coined last year, the term ‘revenge travel’ is being thoroughly put into practice now as thousands flock to hill stations and retreats.

Such is the intensity of the urge to travel, that visuals emerging out of these hill stations show travelers forgetting the critical COVID-19 protocol that has been followed for months. In photos and videos circling on social media, people are seen flouting social distancing and mask norms. Dr Balram Bhargava, director general, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Called the pictures “frightening”.

Revenge Travel - From theory to practice

Revenge travel or revenge tourism, stems from a feeling of wanting to break free from the monotonous life of lockdowns. It is a product of another phenomenon called ‘lockdown-fatigue’, coined last year by AIIMS Delhi director Dr Randeep Guleria.

While curfews and inter-state travel restrictions kept people confined to their homes, the travel and tourism industry came to a virtual standstill as the virus gripped India.

Now, people confined for months and intoxicated with wanderlust are heading to hill station hotels and resorts aching to host them. The fact that it’s the time of the year when sweltering heat pushes Indians to take summer vacations doesn’t help the cause either.

Revenge travel, a phenomenon being discussed since last year, is now taking place in full flow. Rajiv Subramanian, vice president at global online travel company Cleartrip told a leading media house, “Advance bookings as measured by the share of bookings with travel dates more than four weeks away are over 10 per cent this year compared to around 5 per cent last year."

Lack of COVID-appropriate behaviour

Secretary Lav Agarwal reiterated that while we might be exhausted by months of being locked down, the virus is not. There is also a general tendency to not comply with COVID-appropriate behaviour.

A recent online survey, quoted the Ministry of Health, reveals that a majority of Indians have failed to comply with COVID-appropriate behaviour. It says that around 83 percent have failed to fully comply while 63 percent do not maintain appropriate social distancing.

In such a scenario, revenge travel has the potential to undo months of lockdown that broke the chain of COVID-19 spread.

While there has been a 13 percent dip in India’s weekly average of 3 lakh new COVID-19 cases, at least 91 districts are still reporting over 100 new cases every day.

With new highly virulent variants like the Delta plus emerging, such behaviour could end up in catastrophic consequences as India recovers from the brutal second wave of the pandemic.