DATA & SURVEYS
According to Expedia research, 50% of interviewed tourists are comfortable with planning a trip in the next 12 months, but following certain conditions. 75% of the answers showed that people will consider a must the use of masks, contactless services and fare flexibility, with policies that don’t involve cancellation fees. 24% of the interviewees also considers room service and contactless check-in as two main factors in deciding a destination. OTAs and destination websites showed a strong growth in traffic (over 20%), as people are now more willing to ask for information and to plan their trip more carefully.
As shown by Skift Research Global Travel Outlook 2021, travel in 2021 could look more normal than expected as it estimates that COVID-19 vaccines will be available to younger healthy people from April onwards and this month in 2020 shows how the industry has registered some recovery and European destinations and the U.S. performed relatively well during the summer months as borders within the EU were reopened to salvage the industry. In 2021 it is expected to be an outperform of leisure travel vs business as consumers already show their will to start travel again soon. Short-term rentals have been able to benefit from the changing consumer behavior and expectations, i.e. Airbnb staged the largest IPO in travel Million $ history and shares quickly rallied to make it the most valuable travel company in the world.
2021 TRENDS
According to the Best in Travel2021, that lists the most popular destinations for future travels, Dante’s Routes are going to be the #1 choice in Italy. As 2021 is going to be Dante’s year, celebrating 700 years from the death of the most important Italian poet and literate. Dante’s Routes are listed in Lonely Planet Best in Travel 2021 including the slow breathtaking itineraries among Tuscany and Romagna: the region who gave him birth and the one he lived during his exile. The routes feature 395km of trails and 20 stops between Florence and Ravenna (and back), to discover Central Italy and all of its medieval and historical wonders.
A year in travel by eDreams ODIGEO: the good news coming from the vaccination campaign caused a 19% boost in the online research of flights among Italians, a strong growth that was unexpected but is surely welcome. London, Milan and Paris are the most wanted destinations when it comes to Europe. While in the rest of the world Dubai is showing the greatest growth in interest, because of the Expo. The most booked destinations are Lisbon, Istanbul, Fort de France, Palma de Maiorca and Tenerife. The average stay is between 7 and 14 days, as already foreseen by many travel trends (longer stays, closer destinations). As for domestic tourism, Italy is the country that benefitted from it the most, with 55% of Italians deciding to stay in their country for the 2020 summer.
Pleasure flights, fee flexibility and environmental concerns are just a few of top travel trends predicted for 2021 by CN Traveller. As 2021 brings hope and more optimistic views on travelling, people seem to be interested in newer and more hedonistic tourism trends, to make the best out of their experiences and somehow make up for the time they lost during the long quarantines. Digital nomads and always-out-of-office are expected to grow by a lot, together with private islands takeovers and hedonistic hideouts, far from everything but with every comfort inside. Cheaper alternatives, still expected to be trending in 2021, are an environment-friendly tourism, last minute bookings and no fee trip charges, those two in particular will help avoid cancellations or unpleasant surprises as in 2020.
How holidays will be like in 2021: staycations and domestic tourism will grow, as people will still feel unsafe in making long trip or boarding planes. Workations will also be a growing trend, as people are now used to working outside their office and they are likely to never fully go back to the 9-to-5 logic ever again. Stays will be longer and holidays are going to be booked later, to avoid negative surprises and fully enjoy the trip (which, after the pandemic, isn’t taken for granted anymore). As for the choice of destinations, unusual and isolated places will be preferred: the mountains are going to become a very trendy alternative to usual touristic locations, and tents will take over hotels and B&Bs.
