SINGAPORE, 22 January 2021: Tripadvisor released Thursday its latest research that identifies shifting consumer travel plans and trends in 2021.
The report, which analysed first-party search data as well as traveller sentiment across six major markets (US, UK Australia, Italy, Japan and Singapore), revealed consumers’ increasing confidence that they will travel abroad in 2021, particularly in the second half of the year.
Globally, the majority of hotel clicks on Tripadvisor are already shifting to international destinations for trips taking place from May 2021 onwards (as opposed to domestic destinations, which dominated hotel clicks throughout 2020).
The report “The Year of the Travel Rebound: Five Traveller Trends to Watch Out for in 2021” can be read in full, for free, here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/InfoCenter-a_ctr.2021TravelTrends
The report, entitled “The Year of the Travel Rebound: 5 Traveller Trends to Watch Out for in 2021” can be read in full, for free, here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/InfoCenter-a_ctr.2021TravelTrends
Five core trends
1. Travellers are planning to travel abroad in the second half of the year.
Nearly half (47%) of travellers surveyed globally say they are planning to travel internationally in 2021, including 61% of Singapore travellers.
One in 10 (11%) of Singaporean respondents have already booked an international trip for 2021.
2. Vaccinations will be a game-changer for traveller confidence.
Globally, more than three quarters (77%) of travellers surveyed say they will be more likely to travel overseas if they receive the vaccine, rising to 86% for travel domestically.
More than a quarter (26%) of respondents globally say that they would only travel to destinations that required visitors to be vaccinated before travel, with Australian (32%) and US (30%) travellers the most likely to expect destinations to adopt this safety measure. In Singapore,26% of respondents say they will only travel to destinations that require a pre-travel vaccination in 2021.
3. Domestic vacations remain high on travellers’ wishlist for 2021.
While international tourism looks to be getting a boost this year following a shutdown for much of 2020, domestic travel isn’t necessarily going to take a back seat in 2021. In the first week of January, nearly 70% of hotel clickers on Tripadvisor were booking future domestic trips, while further out, May to August could prove to be the most popular months for domestic vacations.
Globally, three quarters (74%) of travellers surveyed plan to take at least one overnight domestic leisure trip in 2021, with 60% of travellers surveyed in Singapore planning a domestic trip this year.
4. The joy of vacation planning will be stronger than ever as travellers spend more time researching 2021 trips.
Three quarters (74%) of travellers surveyed globally say they will spend more time choosing a destination this year, including just over 79% of travellers in Singapore
77% of travellers in Singapore will spend more time reading reviews, 76% will spend more time selecting their accommodation, and 78% will spend more time finding things to do.
5. Consumers can’t wait to dine out again, but their taste for takeout will still endure.
Nearly half (47%) of respondents globally say they plan to dine in-person at restaurants more often in 2021 than they did in 2020 and a quarter of respondents (27%) say they plan to order more takeout meals this year.
In Singapore, 48% of respondents plan to dine in-person at restaurants more often this year, and 30% plan to order more takeout.
Vaccine optimism
“Despite the fact that many countries around the world are still grappling with high infection rates of COVID-19, many travellers are feeling optimistic that they will be able to vacation abroad this year, particularly coinciding with the roll-out of a vaccine. Consumer appetite for travel is as strong as it has been since the start of the pandemic and, as our data shows, many people are already actively planning their next big trip – even for trips more than four months out,” said Tripadvisor senior research analyst Shibani Walia. “For destinations, brands and tourism operators, it is so important that they act now to attract this early booking demand, or else they risk missing out to the competition.”
