Alibaba founder Jack Ma, one of the world’s richest men who in March 2019 was valued at USD 39 billion, recently triggered a controversy with his statement that those who wanted to work with his company were expected to work 12 hours a day, six days a week.
Referring to the industry’s ‘996’ work schedule — which is 9am to 9pm, 6 days a week — Ma, in a communication to Alibaba employees, said it was a “huge blessing” for young people.
Irrespective of the fact whether you support Ma’s views or not, it is a reality that majority of the working population of the world work 12 hours a day, six days a week. Some even more to make ends meet.
The overnight weekend tourism industry has discovered the immense potential this situation offers.
[ALSO READ: Antarctica is a wilderness like nowhere else]
If the location is right, tourism businesses focussing on clients in this category have the elasticity to be as small or as big as their capital permits. You don’t need much — only a comfortable refuge where the visitors can get away from their 996 life for a few hours, unwind, and spend some of the money they have been working so much to earn.
Location is of vital importance. With less time in their hands, such visitors prefer places that do not need too much time to reach from the city. Ideally, it is a place not more than two or three hours away.
In India, hundreds of such destinations have been popping up close to major cities over the past several years. With the advent of Airbnb, owners of spacious houses are not doing much more than putting together a colourful garden, sprucing up their bathroom/toilet and putting up the listing. And there is no dearth of takers.
The more serious businesspersons, who run mini-resorts also throw in a pool — always a big draw — along with perhaps foosball, table table and other indoor games. The properties located in rural areas also advertise the landscape in their vicinity.
I visited one such resort last weekend. Very well connected both by road and train from the east Indian metropolis Kolkata, the 25-room property did not have a single room free. The location, however, didn’t offer much else. Buses full of day-trippers (it was a college outing) also came to party and splash about in the pool and dance to loud music on the shady grounds on the Sunday.
“Weekends are usually fully booked. We don’t have much else going on here and the pool is a big draw,” a member of the owner’s family told me.
I had booked the room for two nights but we found the place just perfect for a one-night stay. It gets boring from Day 2 with not much else to do. We left the second evening instead of staying the night.
For those with even less time but plenty of money, luxury hotels in the city itself are cashing in on the situation by offering staycation packages with spa sessions and other things thrown in.
996 is not going anywhere in the foreseeable future. And the overnight weekend tourism industry is only headed for growth.
