AT DAWN AT DUSK – Socio-Economic Discovery Transformations


World
Best Read
PUBLISHED May 16, 2021

The setting sun of tourism in India beckons for a new rise, taking into consideration all who aspire to travel again, travel to newer destinations, to the destinations which do comply with the new norms of new travel. Mobility and safety always play an important role and reflects the sensorial experiences in the desired destinations.

In present times of lockdown, at dawn and at dusk®’ is a prime time-zone that offers opportunities to discover emotional geographies having excess of time, space and individualism.

India’s cultural diversity has been an eye catcher for all segments of travellers for years now. Unfortunately, everything remains at a halt now and tourism becomes more vulnerable. As we await the new normal to set the definition towards future tourism, some destinations in South Asia are open to travellers; India will take its due course. Due to the pandemic, the businesses have drawn away the spirit of work, the employees and contractors are settled at home. The dark days have to wither, and the sunshine has to bring a new hope, with new opportunities. It used to be said in the past "the dawn of civilization” with a notion that darkness will be followed by sunlight.

The ongoing pandemic is humankind's worst experience, but things must get better. With a hope that tourists and travellers will choose destinations where serenity and scant will be the adjectives to describe. Serenity – the beauty of the location, untouched and pristine. Scant – with rather negligible population, with spaces to meander around. Visually arresting places like the Islands of Maldives, the pristine Andaman & Nicobar, the absolutely stunning Daman and Diu and Lakshadweep, the untouched glory of North Eastern India, the mesmerising locales of Bhutan might be some of the best picks in the months to come.   

Going out will require resilience and efficiency to walk, talk, move, and explore in a way where distance is the common denominator. The tourism industry is well knitted and has, so far, been thriving on experiential factors creating sensorial dialogue between the conceptual and the actual destination exploratory touch points. Adopting virtual means will never be able to recreate an immersive connection, equivalent to putting feet in a stream of river or experiencing a wind gush during a self-driven holiday.  The triggered sense of physically exploring the destination provides fulfilment and happiness. 

Experiencing a destination ‘at dawn and at dusk®’ is mesmerizing and helps individuals in direction setting while becoming a valuable contributor to making future travel decisions. The story flows through the visuals surrounded with stories that connect with mind, body and soul in a socially conscious™ way. It is truly an immersion giving an insight about the past and the future.

Mythically speaking, in India, dawn and dusk has been attributed to special hours to perform rituals. The start and fall of light are seen as auspicious ‘muhurtham’ (a unit of time) to pray to the Supreme power. A country like India with diverse sets of beliefs and cultures together with a landscape gives the traveller the best ‘at dawn at dusk®’ moments. Various destinations in India and South Asia offer infinite scope and possibilities of exploration through a series of excellent virtual tours, content, and on-ground explorations. For countries like Maldives, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka – the beauty is enhanced with their water bodies. Similarly, countries like India, Bangladesh, and Nepal boast of their locales which turn out to be the best spots to visit with fewer crowds during dawn and dusk. 

To cite a few examples, the breaking of dawn at Tiger Hill in Darjeeling – when the Kanchenjunga crown simmers golden, the change of colour is surreal. The experience at the observatory where the minus temperature freezes you and one still waits for the warmth of the sun cannot be matched with any other at dawn experience. From the hills down to Kanyakumari, the magical sunrise and sunset point is magical. For Taj Mahal, the majestic marble shines bright and creates an optical illusion at dawn. What starts at dawn ends at dusk, and an experience at the sand dunes of Rajasthan is a must do for all who love to see the changing colours of the planet Earth. Nevertheless, if one does not admire the desert, they might soak in the sunset with the rugged mountains of Leh-Ladakh or soak in the silence of Dal Lake. 

When these destinations are showcased with stories, warm services & place sense™ attitude, they become once in a lifetime experience.  The communities living around destinations that offer spectacular views have to work in an inclusive way, building on the strengths of people and places to promote sustainable development.  The future travel will focus on healthy residents and cleaner neighbourhoods. Aiming to interact with locals during travel leaves a positive impact and in the long run assures benefits through experiential products for the locations.

The locations with minute detailing are now a part of our experience delivery under the gambit of responsible and sustainable tourism. At City Explorers Private Limited (CEPL) the team mantra is all about resonating experience delivery outcome (REDO)® with the innovative practices leading into exploration and support destinations in generating employment with new tourism products. The tourism facilitator or tour guide’s intent is to bestow new value to old resources in a destination. CEPL has been able to adapt and have a better sense of what can, and cannot, be done from an experience delivery standpoint. Having execution acumen and decision-making speed is the competency with which the team brings flexibility and innovation. Some of the CEPL® flagships are created for the public to experience the destinations with a shared vision of keeping the planet safe.  The offered walking routes enhance social inclusion, develop intercultural dialogue. Some of the experiential and successful change makers are Delhi Walks®, Varanasi Heritage Walks™, India City Walks™, India Heritage Walks®, Regenerative Travel and India With Locals™ which engage different sections of the society while providing local context to achieve sustainable and economic development.

India, by virtue of its ancient civilization, has been home to most major religions of the world. There are several interfaith experiences of different sites and monuments, along with art, culture, traditions and architecture from different eras of Indian history. As India prepares for another stage of COVID-19 battle, hopefully we will win over it sooner than expected. And soon enough the travel industry will be able to open its gates to the travellers with newer and safer offerings.

The new normal is vulnerable in a whole new way. Let’s explore India ‘at dawn and at dusk®’ and get agile for creating a mindset to know thyself beyond limit. We must go out, once the dust settles, spend time and be socially conscious redressing health and safety protocols.

Article by Sachin Bansal

Dr. Sachin Bansal, is the Founder and Chief Explorer® of ‘City Explorers® a Private Limited in India’ and he has multiple flagships functional in the tourism industry. As a destination branding specialist, he has coined the conceptual acronyms and led the co-creation through ‘Experiential Delivery in Tourism (EDiT)™’ and ‘Resonating Experiential Delivery Outcome (REDO)®’. You can reach Dr. Sachin Bansal on help@cityexplorers.in

 

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