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Survey: Travelers ‘Hungry’ for New Tourism Experiences

Photo source: Booking.com

The coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has changed the consuming behavior of travelers, who are now “hungry” for new trips and tourism experiences, according to Booking.com Program Manager-Hospitality Thibault Masson.

Speaking during the 3rd BnB Greece Conference that took place recently online, Masson revealed the results of a survey conducted by Booking.com, according to which 42 percent of consumers want to travel more in the future to make up for the “lost time”.

In addition, 53 percent of travelers have a heightened desire to see even more of the world, while 61 percent are even more appreciative of travel than before the pandemic.

The survey revealed the following key trends about travel in 2021:

Vital value
Sixty two percent of travelers will be more price conscious when it comes to planning a trip.

Repeat visitors & domestic travel
Fifty percent of global travelers are repeat visitors, which means that they intend to travel somewhere they’ve already been previously for its familiarity. Meanwhile, 43 percent plan to explore a new destination within their home region or country.

Search escapism
“Search escapism” is a new tourism trend. “Even if people are not traveling, they are still dreaming and strarting to make decisions,” Masson explains.
According to the survey, over a third of travelers (38 percent) are looking at potential travel destinations as often as once a week. Also, 36 percent has already turned to chatting with friends and family to spark their travel creativity.

Safety
Health and safety has become very important to travelers. Seventy five percent of travelers favor places with antibacterial and sanitizing products. Another 70 percent will only book a particular accommodation if its clear with health and hygiene policies it has in place.

Photo source: Booking.com

Sustainability
Over half of global travelers (53 percent) want to travel more sustainably in the future. Sixty nine percent expect the travel industry to offer more sustainable travel options.

Digital nomads
Over a third of travelers (37 percent) reveal they have already considered booking somewhere to stay in order to work from a different destination. Over half (52 percent) would take the opportunity to extend any business trips to also enjoy leisure time at the destination.

Simple pleasures
Over two thirds of travelers will look to apprecieate more simple experiences such as spending time outdoors or with the family while on vacation. Furthermore, 56 percent will seek out more rural, off-the-beaten-track experiences.

Technology
Sixty three percent of travelers say that accommodation will need to use the latest technologies to make travelers feel safe. Another 56 percent are excited about tech’s potential to further personalize their future travel experiences.

Booking.com combined survey data from 20,000 travelers across 28 markets.

Recovery for short-term rentals expected in 2023-24

Mykonos Island © Maria Theofanopoulou

Meanwhile, according to data revealed during the 3rd BnB Greece Conference, the short-term rental market is expected to return to normality by 2023 or 2024.

In the meantime, occupancy rates in the short-term rental industry, in 2021 are expected to reach 50 percent of the respective figures of 2019.

The data also showed that visitors intend to book longer stays if they combine business with leisure. It was also highlighted that digital nomads and remote workers will make their presence felt in the short-term rental market in the near future.

Furthermore, the need for sustainable tourism has become even more intense due to the global coronavirus pandemic, according to the data.

The 3rd BnB Greece Conference was held online during January 25-26 with the participation of over 1,400 attendees on the first day and over 1,100 during the second day.

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About the Author
Eleftheria has worked for several financial newspapers, magazines and websites during the past 19 years. Between 2004 and 2014 she worked as a radio producer, reporter and presenter for the Greek and English language program of “Athina 9.84 FM”. She also has hands-on experience in the MICE industry.
  1. Pete Bowley Reply

    What an informative article. It will be interesting to see how 2021 tourism industry actually pans out when we are allowed to fly, especially from the UK, as its not looking good for any country at the moment.

    Pete @CorfuTourist

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