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Published on : Thursday, October 15, 2020
Travel Leaders Group recently conducted a survey of nearly 3,000 frequent travellers and reported that an overwhelming majority of 99% U.S. and Canadian travellers are eager to travel again. The same report also states that around 70% travellers are planning to take a holiday in 2021. The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) joined hands with Travel Leaders Group to conduct the survey.
Results have also indicated that 45% of respondents have already made plans or are starting to make finite plans for their next holiday, while 54% are currently thinking when they can travel again. The survey also showcased that 23% of respondents said that they plan to travel by the end of 2020, while 70% looks forward to travelling in 2021 and only 18% says that they will resume travelling in 2022.
More than half of travellers surveyed said that they are concerned about the risk of being infected when travelling on a plane or cruise ship, getting stuck and stranded away from home or being quarantined on a cruise ship or at a hotel. A lesser number named concerns about them or a family member contracting the COVID-19 virus while travelling, and worried about getting a refund if a particular trip is cancelled. More concerns have been witnessed about family members with higher risk health conditions.
A majority of survey respondents said the following health and safety initiatives at airports, aboard aircraft and at resorts will make a big difference in their decision to travel in the future alongside other safety measures and protocols like mandatory masks, social distancing, enhanced cleaning, temperature checks and access to sanitizing gel. Respondents also cited contact-free services and customizable room cleaning of resorts and hotels.
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% said such a requirement would be a deterrent. Around 47% surveyed respondents said that they will prefer flying to their next holiday destination, around 21% mentioned they will drive, and 17% said they plan to take an ocean cruise, with only 5% opting for a river cruise.
For US travellers, less-crowded, outdoor and beach experiences topped the list of desired domestic destinations, with National Parks, Florida, Hawaii, Alaska, California high on the list while traditionally popular sites, such as New York and Nevada, scored lower. For Canadians, British Columbia, Atlantic Canada, Alberta, Ontario, and any other less-crowded place alongside National Parks led the list. Meanwhile, 38% preferred Europe, 34% preferred the Caribbean and 15% preferred Mexico for their next holiday, making them the top-ranked international destinations of interest, followed by Canada (for US travellers), Central and South America, Australia, Africa and Asia.
John Lovell, President, Travel Leaders Group said in a statement that 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. He also mentioned concerns about tests can be addressed with rapid testing as authorities believe that the widespread availability of rapid testing will result in greater acceptance of pre-trip testing and encourage more people to travel.