During the first two weeks of May, we invited a group of 205 people, residing mainly in Europe and the Middle East, to share their thoughts as to how ready they are to once again travel on leisure. We asked participants to respond to 10 questions, basing their answers on the assumption that Covid-19 travel restrictions imposed by governments across the globe will be eased by the end of the 2nd quarter of the year.
With half of respondents confirming they are ready to take a leisure trip as early as the 3rd Quarter of 2020 and more than two thirds of them planning to travel before the end of this year, leisure travel is reaffirmed as a necessity in our lives. Moreover, participants gave thumbs up to International Travel.
And, whilst intend to vacation is robust, Covid-19 might leave a mark in the future of leisure travel and lodging. Out of an accommodation line up of 10 types, sentiment around Cruises attracted the most negative scores, demonstrating that recovery in their popularity might take longer.
When reframing the question of choice and asking to pick a single top choice from the same list of 10 accommodation types, internationally branded hotels and owned residences lead the board with almost half of the responses. Small boutique hotels up to 20 rooms rank as the third choice, and score particularly high up in the preferences of participants residing in Europe, followed by private villa rentals.
We also observed an even split in preferences between hospitality products (hotels and hotel apartments) and residential real estate products (owned residences, villa rentals, Airbnb).
Will the short-term trends become long term realities in the way people plan their vacations? It is still too early to tell. However, it seems that if people feel safe and secure, they may consider traveling again…
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Note: The above is the view of 205 respondents at a given point in time and it does not necessarily represent the opinion of all travelers. As such, it should not be regarded as a sole guide for business decisions.