Popular tourist attractions and group travel tours will be fading away in contrast with the growth of personal “work and travel” and community tourism in the new normal of Post Covid-19 era.
Somsak Boonkham, Co-founder and CEO at Local Alike, a community based online tourism platform, disclosed that the post Covid-19 pandemic, the community tourism will be changed to a new normal. Travel behavior of tourists, Thai and foreigners, will be changed from group travel tour with agency will be changed to personal travel, driving a personal car with family or alone, for contactless practicing and stay away from the crowd in order to avoid the Covid-19.
Traveling to popular attractions are likely to decline, but more people will go to such alternative attractions as community-based travel. Traditional experience of Chinese, westerners, or Japanese tourists lay down on the beach will be not seen as usual, but tourists will go to new places, and this is an opportunity of the community tourism, local food business, or home stay.
Once the country’s borders are reopened and travel bubbles are agreed upon the Covid-19 era, travelers from Taiwan, New Zealand, South Korea, Austria, and more, have Thailand their destinations.
Healthcare and hygiene measures are first priority tourists decide for their accommodations, so hotel, resort, homestay and restaurants must seriously care for cleanness.
Travel attractions will become a workplace because the “work from home” become a major part of the new normal era. The business of hotels, resorts and homestays therefore have to make their places to accommodate the travelers of the Post Covid-19. For example, Baan Pha Mee, a small village located on the hill in Mae Sai district, Chiang Rai abundant culture, simple tribal way of Akha life, and natural resource exist and await for travelers to experience. The coffee house, restaurants and homestays there can generate income from travel more than 10 million a year.
Somsak added that a success of community-based travel business is time consuming and requires good teamwork and consistent standard quality of services because making the community travel recognized is not difficult, but keeping its reputation sustainably is harder. Leaders and members of the communities must be passionate and keep developing the travel services in communities.
