It is time to travel again, says Yatra.com in new campaign
After the release of digital campaign #ReasonToTravel, Yatra Marketing Head Shweta Singhal says she expects the travel sector to make a gradual comeback during the holiday season of October-December
Yatra.com, after a considerable time, has released a new film encouraging people to travel once again. The past few months have perhaps been the toughest for the travel industry but now with the world creeping back to normalcy and travel rules being relaxed in most states, Yatra.com’s digital film #ReasonToTravel says that it is time to take that much needed break and venture out again, albeit with precautions.
Talking about why she felt this was the opportune time to return to the spotlight, Shweta Singhal, Head of Marketing & New Business Initiatives, Yatra.com says, “The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the travel industry and we believe it is essential for us to engage with consumers through constant communication across channels to re-ignite their love for travel. At Yatra.com, we aim to promote travel in the post-pandemic world and bring the buzz back around travel. Through our latest digital campaign #ReasonToTravel we are focusing on building consumer confidence and spreading the message that it is time to travel again.”
The film shows a bunch of youngsters talking about why they are missing home or why they need to travel, the reasons being plenty - from wanting to eat Maa ke haath ka khaana, to celebrating grandparents’ anniversary to job compulsions. Yatra tries to reignite the magic of travelling by putting out that one tiny spark about travel at a time when people are tired of the same lifestyle and are yearning to venture out despite their reservations on safety.
Elaborating on the thought behind the concept, Ritika Bajaj, Founder and Director Indianstorytellers, says: “The brief came in at a time when some of the travel restrictions were lifted. Their brief to us was clear, that they wanted to reassure people that it was fine to travel, as the necessary precautions were being taken by the various stakeholders. Travellers no longer had to think twice about booking that flight home. Yatra wanted to be the answer and their solution, to all their very legit and valid concerns about travelling again.”
It is not just lip service says Yatra that has introduced a host of initiatives to keep the traveller worry free like introducing ‘Clean Pass’ across their partner hotels, cabs and bus service providers, which comes with a promise of safety and security across all touchpoints during a customer’s journey. Additionally, they have also launched ‘Yatra Service Assured Packages’ for travelers wherein they will be provided with a secure, clean and safe environment for future leisure travel. This special package is designed with the best of essentials and includes hotel services with 24x7 emergency help line number, travel insurance, sanitized vehicles, flexible check-in and checkout, meals prepared in hygienic conditions, and quality transport services for the convenience of the customers. These initiatives are in place to promote and encourage people to travel while keeping in mind the safety of all travellers.
The team has shown restraint and not gone all out to show exotic locales typical of travel ads and tried to keep the desire to travel more functional, even though they are seen encouraging short getaways. Bajaj explains, “The biggest challenge was to get the messaging right. To be able to get the uncertain edginess in the air through the lines and the various reasons that regular people like us have, to even think about travelling at a time like this.”
Talking about the challenges while shooting she says, “This was the first time we shot for Yatra at a live location. We've created graphic and text based ad films for them earlier. We've already shot 2 ad films for them post Unlock 1. Shoot wise, we followed all the sanitary precautions, with temperature checks, wearing of masks, gloves and PPE kits by technicians and overall sanitization of the shoot location with minimal crew. The actors were on time and the crew at the venue was helpful, making it easy for us to shoot.”
Commenting on how long it might take in the current circumstances for people to keep aside their inhibitions about travelling in the new world, Singhal adds, “The last few months witnessed an uptick in demand largely due to individuals travelling to their hometowns or for essential purposes. During the festival of Eid and Rakhi, we had witnessed a slight growth as people traveled to their home to be with their loved ones to celebrate the festivities. However, customers are still cautious and planning their travel basis need and safety guidelines laid down by different states for travel quarantine period. As the government is gradually relaxing travel restrictions and few states re- opening their borders to tourism, travelers are still slowly gaining confidence to travel. Additionally, emerging trends such as workcations and staycations are here to stay and are popular among people allowing for a quick getaway. We can expect the travel sector to make a gradual comeback and pickup especially during the holiday season of October-December.”
