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Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic it is really difficult to predict any future developments. However, the travel portal eDreams Odigeo attempted to provide an insight into the changed travel behavior, the current travel mood and the future plans of vacationers.
In this context, around 10,000 people from the United Kingdom, United States, Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Portugal and Sweden were interviewed. The study included a look at the past months as well as the current and future travel trends. How will people travel in 2021?
2020 Trends
35.2% of all respondents said that they do not feel save travelling during these times. In this context, about one-third of the respondents are afraid that they will get infected during their travels. This fear was one of the determining factors that led them to forego a summer vacation this year (30%).
Besides some mild variations of vacation preferences of nationalities, there were also some differences between genders. Women tend to focus more on vacationing outdoors, be it on the beach or in the mountains, and see it as a safe place for their trip (50.3%).
Male travelers, in the meantime, focus more on the specific accommodation situation. Almost half of them feel safe, especially in hotels and holiday apartments (40.4%).
Young People See Fewer Risks
Experts describe the change in social and economic interaction triggered by the current exceptional situation as the “Covid-19 effect”, which is also visible in the study results.
Above all, people aged 35 and over avoid vacation plans (35.6%). One third of the respondents stated that they regard a vacation as questionable in view of the current figures and they don’t plan to travel in 2021.
In comparison, younger generations are becoming more confident about the future. 53.9% of 18-24-year-old and 48.9% of 25-34-year-olds have full confidence in the effectiveness of the general safety measures and hygiene regulations. People aged 55 and over hold this opinion far more cautiously with just under 34%.
For the travelers it is also important how their bookings are protected. Around 57% of travelers would like guaranteed reimbursements for travel expenses and accommodation if they are cancelled due to Covid-19. In addition, 46% said they consider a vaccine against Covid-19 to be necessary before booking a trip abroad again.
Short and Last-minute Trips Popular
Generally, the hope for a longer vacation is increasing, but respondents are still cautious when it comes to planning their vacation and prefer short trips (28%) and last-minute bookings (41.8%). Nevertheless, more than a quarter of those surveyed would like to plan their vacation in the near future.
With regards to the specific destination of travel in 2021, holidaymakers are currently not sure which destination they will choose for their upcoming holidays. 43% of travelers said they prefer already known destinations, while 37% want to travel only to countries that are also classified as safe areas by state authorities.
Source: tourism-review.com