Sojern: Covid-19 Brings Last-minute Bookings Back into the Picture

Greece and Switzerland appear to be on people’s minds despite the lockdowns at destinations worldwide due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, according to the latest data published by travel solutions provider Sojern.

Based on April 20 travel intent feedback, Sojern analysts are looking at trends and patterns in consumer behaviour as European countries said they will begin to gradually ease containment measures paving the way for domestic travel initially.

According to Sojern data, flight searches to Switzerland and flight bookings to Greece appear to have marked a small uptick with flight searches and bookings for most of the other European countries down year-on-year.

Global Flight Bookings to Key European Markets

Source: Sojern

Further assessing global flight searches, bookings as well as hotel searches and bookings to key European markets, Sojern findings indicate that despite the announced relaxation of lockdown measures, travel will be one of the last industries to benefit.

Analysts said they now see hints of recovery in Germany, which is planning this week to start easing their lockdown, while the UK will not be lifting restrictions any time soon as there has been no evidence to show that the country’s infection rate has peaked.

March 2020 Hotel Search and Booking Lead Time to Key German Cities

Source: Sojern

Greece, meanwhile, recorded the best performance in Europe in terms of “flattening the curve” thanks to early and strict containment measures, according to a comparative pan-European report released last week by The Bridge Tank.

The key takeaway from the Sojern report? The prolonged uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic has led to a reluctance in consumer behaviour: travelers are still searching but appear hesitant to book travel for future months, which means that they may be leaving travel plans to the last minute.