Demand for Travel Stronger After Covid-19, Says Study

Photo Source: Sojern

Most of the world may be on lockdown in efforts to steer clear of the deadly coronavirus which has devasted economies, societies and personal lives, but the interest for travel appears to be going strong, according to a study released recently by travel marketing solutions provider Sojern.

More specifically, the study found that though travel bookings are down year-over-year, there appears to be a very early spike in global travelers booking flights in the last 14 days to the UK and to Spain for January 2021.

According to Sojern analysts, global flight bookings made in the last 14 days to the UK for January 2021 are up by 242 percent and by 160 percent for Spain.

London, UK

The study notes that Italy too, which has together with Spain suffered the hardest blow in Europe by Covid-19, are showing an upward trend for January 2021.

The study’s analysts attribute the rise to a number of airlines announcing their winter timetables early or releasing more flexible cancelation and booking policies, which are boosting consumers’ confidence in booking trips for a date when they feel the Covid-19 health crisis will subside.

In terms of confidence, the study found – based on flight searches made in the last 14 days – that travelers from the Middle East, Western and Eastern Europe, and North America appear keener to reinstate their travel plans as soon as they can, showing interest in traveling to the UK towards the end of the year.

Eastern and Western Europe are showing a very early rise in year-over-year travel intent for January 2021 with an above average year-over-year increase of 164 percent and 97 percent respectively, compared to the same period last year.

Travelers from Asia, on the other hand, appear to be more pessimistic about their future travel plans to the UK.