Skyscanner: Travelers Planning to Spend More in 2022

Travel is firmly back on the agenda for 2022 and travelers are planning to spend more this year, according to a survey released recently by travel site Skyscanner.

Bringing together booking data and a survey of 4,000 travelers, Skyscanner’s international research reveals the biggest trends for 2022 as travel continues to bounce back.

According to the survey, in the face of new Covid-19 variants, the war in Ukraine, high jet fuel prices and the west’s rising cost of living, travel is continuing to prove its resilience. However, a full recovery won’t happen until 2023-24, says the travel site.

Other key findings include:

• People are prioritising travel spend in 2022

Source: Skyscanner

– Travelers are planning to spend more this year – their budgets are higher, they’re booking longer trips and choosing more expensive accommodation

–  86 percent of travelers plan to spend more or the same on international travel than they did in 2019, with half planning to spend more

– of those spending more, 48 percent are putting this money towards longer trips and 43 percent towards accommodation upgrades. But travellers do remain price conscious.

• Booking horizons show signs of stabilising

Source: Skyscanner

As confidence accelerates, people are becoming more comfortable booking travel further ahead. Although conditions aren’t the same as before Covid-19, Skyscanner is seeing booking horizons move closer to 2019 levels.

The preference today is booking short haul and searching long haul, a result of testing and quarantine requirements in some destinations. When those requirements are removed, leisure demand will rebound very quickly.

• City breaks are back

Source: Skyscanner

This year, travelers want to unwind on relaxing getaways and travel internationally to bucket list destinations.

City breaks also return as people regain confidence in visiting busier urban areas.

•  Aviation is still some way from a full recovery

Demand for domestic and short-haul flights is higher than pre-pandemic, but long-haul travel is making a comeback.

Meanwhile, market conditions are leading to important shifts that will ultimately benefit travelers.

These include:

– the streamlining of fleets by retiring older aircraft and introducing newer, more fuel-efficient models

– new direct domestic and international routes connecting travelers with parts of the world only previously reachable via a one- or multi-stop journey

– new airlines entering the market, including a focus on low-cost long haul.

• Doha is the world’s top trending destination

Doha has shown the biggest rise in searches over the last three years.

Other top trending destinations are a mix of short and long haul as new routes are launched, countries re-open and travelers seek to reunite with friends and family.