We are quietly confident that travel will open up in 2021. At this point, it might be hopefulness versus educated guesses, but we need that travel fix. So with that in mind, we look at 2021 travel predictions from our friends at Booking.com.
The predictions shared by Booking.com are based on combined research from more than 20,000 travellers across 28 countries and territories. The experts have put together the study for us to better understand what travel will look like in 2021.
READ MORE: Is it really safe to travel again?
From the study, most travellers showed one of the highest levels of optimism and excitement across many of the predictions for leisure travel, even if this continues to be different for a long time. Booking.com has seen that travellers will continue to find ways to satiate their appetite for travel as long as it’s safe to do so, and the industry will need to adapt at pace.
Road trips are going to be popular
On average, 58% of travellers around the world are looking forward to visiting nearby regions or destinations accessible by car. The highest among the 28 countries surveyed measures at 73% among Thai travellers – the highest percentage among the 28 countries surveyed.
This likely means that local travel will increase significantly. Ithas risen to the fore as it remains easier, safer and happily often more sustainable. 47% of people still plan to travel within their own country in the medium term (7-12 months’ time), with 38% planning to do so in the longer term (in over a year’s time). When it comes to local travel, 43% plan to explore a new destination within their home region/country and 46% will take the time to appreciate the natural beauty of their home country.
The rise of the digital nomads
Working remotely has become the norm during the pandemic and people have realised it might actually be easy enough to combine work and pleasure than ever before. No longer confined to five days a week in an office and desperate for a change of scene from Working From Home (WFH), we’ll see a significant rise in the “Workcation”, with travellers looking to extend their vacation experience in new locales by staying an extra week or two to work remotely – or conversely factoring holiday around a stint of remote working.
Over a third (37%) of travellers have already considered booking somewhere to stay in order to work from a different destination, while 40% would be willing to quarantine if they could work remotely. This means that travel platforms and accommodations will start to prioritise home office facilities and Wi-Fi speed in an attempt to attract this new wave of digital nomads.
Likewise, the world of corporate travel will see increasing demand for privacy, cleanliness and longer stays among those travelling for business, requiring alternative accommodations to seriously up their ‘work-friendly’ game. One of the most interesting travel predictions from the research indicates that workers will continue to maximise the trips they do take, with over half of travellers (52%) saying they would take the opportunity to extend any business trips to also enjoy leisure time at the destination.
READ MORE: Take advantage of Malaysia’s best staycation deals
Safe travel is a must for most
According to the results of the survey, global travellers (79%) will take more precautions due to Coronavirus and will look to the travel industry to help them gear up for this new normal.
59% of travellers will avoid certain destinations (rising to 67% in the case of Baby Boomers), and 70% expect tourist attractions to adapt to allow for social distancing. At the same time, 70% will only book a particular accommodation if it’s clear what health and hygiene policies it has in place, with three quarters (75%) favouring accommodations that have antibacterial and sanitizing products.
Short-term there will also be a change in transport preference and provisions, with almost half (46%) opting to avoid public transport for fear of contracting Coronavirus. This will cause a longer-term shift in how people will travel to and around their vacation destinations, with more people choosing to rent or drive their own car. The ‘new normal’ will also see travellers prioritize and adhere to increased health and safety measures, with many becoming second nature sooner than we think.
Just as we have become accustomed to travelling without liquids in our carry on luggage and removing shoes to go through airport security, two-thirds (67%) will accept travelling to destinations that have health spot checks on arrival and 62% will accept wearing a mask in public. Quarantine measures will remain less popular with far fewer (27%) travellers willing to accept these in order to travel to a particular destination.
Let us know what you think travel will be like in 2021 and what you expect to become the new normal for travel.
