Travellers want to be back on the road again after months of being house- and country-bound as nations slowly but cautiously are reopenng their borders to foreign visitors, albeit with strict standard operations procedure (SOP) in place.
Among the most eager to travel again are Americans and Canadians with 99% stating their intention to do so, and 70% planning to take a holday in 2021 according to a survey from Travel Leaders Group conducted in conjunction with the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
The research, carried out in September among 3,000 frequent travellers, found 45% of the respondents have already made plans or are starting to make finite plans for their next holiday, while 54% say they are dreaming of when they can travel again.
“These are really strong numbers,” said John Lovell, president of Travel Leaders Group, a division of Internova Travel Group headquartered in New York. “The fact that 99% of travellers surveyed said they are planning a trip or looking forward to the time they can travel again indicates that as concerns about Covid-19 are addressed leisure travellers will lead the recovery.”
Results also showed 23% of respondents said they plan to travel by the end of 2020, 70% will travel in 2021 with just 18% saying they will resume travelling in 2022.
Gloria Guevara, WTTC president & CEO, opined that consumer uncertanity about risk of exposure to the virus or being quarantined may be holding back some and is a “core problem” facing both travellers and the industry.
“With rapid testing to replace quarantine requirements, enhanced contact tracing and industry-wide standards by sector that can be clearly communicated to the public, we can help alleviate many of those concerns.”
Her views seems to be reflected in the findings that revealed more than half of the travellers surveyed indicate their concerns about the risk of being infected when travelling on a plane or cruise ship, getting stuck while away from home, or being quarantined on a cruise ship or at a hotel.
They are also concerned about them or a family member contracting the virus while travelling, worries about getting a refund if the trip is cancelled and concerns about family members with higher risk health conditions
A majority of the respondents cited the availability of health and safety initiatives at airports, aboard aircraft and at resorts will make a big difference in their decision to travel in the future. These include mandatory masks, social distancing, enhanced cleaning, temperature checks and access to sanitising gel. For resorts they like to see contact-free services and customisable room cleaning.
“Our industry needs to do more to inform potential travellers about all of the health and safety protocols that have been implemented across the industry, and continue to standardise those protocols to restore consumer confidence in travel,” Lovell remarked.
He added that airlines, airports and cruise lines have made “major strides” in the health and hygiene measures taken in close consultation with leading medical experts. “We need to share that story with the travelling public.”
Nearly 60% of respondents said the requirement of a negative PCR test prior to arrival in a destination would make no difference or would be viewed as a positive, while about 40% us if the view that such a requirement would be a deterrent.
Lovell stated these concerns could be addressed with rapid testing. “We believe the widespread availability of rapid testing will result in greater acceptance of pre-trip testing and encourage more people to travel.”
Modes of travel, preferred destinations
Most of the respondents planning a holiday said they will fly to their next holiday destination (47%), 21% will drive, 17% plan to take an ocean cruise with 5% opting for a river cruise.
Europe (38%), the Caribbean (34%) and Mexico (15%) are the top-ranked international destinations of interest, followed by Canada (for US travellers), Central and South America, Australia, Africa and Asia.
“Anywhere uncrowded”, outdoor and beach topped the list of preferred domestic destinations for US travellers with national parks, Florida, Hawaii, Alaska and California high on the list while traditionally popular places such as New York and Nevada were less popular.
Canadians choose British Columbia, Atlantic Canada, Alberta, Ontario, “anywhere uncrowded” and national parks for their domestic holidays.
“We continue to see strong interest in domestic travel, beach destinations and less crowded destinations in both the US and Canada, while the popularity of Europe across the board is encouraging,” said Stephen McGillivray, chief marketing officer for Travel Leaders Group.
• Featured image credit: Creative House/Getty Images
