YouGov’s Eva Satkute Stewart looks at what trips are on consumers’ minds for 2021
This time last year, the travel industry had high hopes for further growth in 2020, which it had enjoyed over the previous ten years. Business meetings, events, and conferences were driving growth and over-tourism and sustainability were high on the agenda. Covid-19 has not only halted travel but impacted the types of trips people are opting for.
With the latest vaccine developments, we now begin to look at whether and how travel preferences have changed. What’s the road to recovery in domestic versus international travel? And will we continue to seek remote locations for our holidays, or will most be comfortable returning to city trips and other popular pre-pandemic options?
Data from YouGov’s Global Travel Profiles reveals that 44% of consumers are keen to take a domestic holiday in 2021, with only a quarter planning an international trip. Currently, the most popular trip type across 25 countries — roughly 17,000 people — is visiting friends and family (37%). People long to see their loved ones and reconnect with friends face-to-face. In the top three, there are also choices for beach vacations (36%) and sight-seeing trips (34%).
But the research also reveals significant differences between markets. For example, people in the US (54%), Australia (53%) and UAE (48%) over-index in their preferences for trips to see family and friends. These types of trips are significantly less prevalent in China (20%), Japan (21%) and Italy (25%).
In the UK, 44% of Brits say they are keen to take a leisure trip domestically in the next 12 months, and one in three plan to go abroad. Across both these groups who plan to travel next year, 77% would opt-in for a short city break and 64% would combine relaxation with a sight-seeing or activity holiday. The third most popular type of trip is a beach holiday, with 56% of those looking to travel eager to book their time in the sun.
Likewise, beach trips are popular among people in the Philippines (45%), Malaysia (42%) and Germany (41%), but less so in China (26%), Singapore (23%) and Japan (14%).
It has been a hard year for the travel industry, and a lot of marketing activity has been (rightly) put on pause while we wait for demand to return. With vaccine approvals and distribution beginning, we’re nearing the transition from a consumer pause on travel to a return to active planning & traveling.
Now is a critical time for reinvigorating connections with consumers and preparing for the resurgence of demand. Tailoring travel products to the right audience can help brands and destinations optimise their market activity and facilitate a rate of recovery for travel and tourism.
Methodology: The data from YouGov Global Travel Profiles is based on the interviews of 16,872 adults aged 18 and over across 25 countries. All interviews were conducted online and the results are unweighted. The countries in the poll include Australia, France, Germany, India, the UK, the US, China, Sweden, Indonesia, Canada, Spain, United Arab Emirates, Denmark, Italy, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, Norway, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Finland, Brazil, Egypt, Mexico, and the Philippines.