HONG KONG SAR, CHINA - With flight bans and country-wide lockdowns, travel has all but ground to a halt. Finn Partners polled over 300 travel journalists worldwide between April 20, 2020, and May 8, 2020, to gauge travel sentiment.
Overall, the survey results indicate a positive outlook. 83% of the respondents continue to search for international travel content but half are searching less than before. The pandemic has seen the topic of well-being take centerstage, with 51% of respondents looking for health and wellness initiatives. Sustainable travel continues to be a hot topic with 49% indicating interest in stories about ecotourism and environmentally friendly design amongst other measures. Pent-up demand for travel has 73% of respondents interested in covering destination-centric stories, 60% are keen to cover new hotel openings, and 94% are ready for press trips once travel bans are lifted.
Asia, US and UK experienced the pandemic in different phases, and the survey results reflect the different regions’ readiness to travel:
- Asia- and US-based journalists are significantly more interested in travel promotions and deals (31% and 34%, respectively) compared to their UK counterparts (14%).
- In terms of travel coverage three months from now, Asia-based journalists are looking further afield at international destinations while US- and UK-based media prefer to stay closer to home and cover domestic and regional destinations. Only 13% of US media would like to receive product press releases from overseas travel organizations including airlines, hotels, tourism boards and attractions.
- Media also prefer to cover secluded destinations with low population density.