According to a study conducted by Accor, a sense of optimism has returned to the travel industry in 2022 with travellers intending to spend an average of 39% more on travel in 2022. In comparison with 2019 figures and to take an average of 3 trips this year.
The study asked 2,000 people across the UK, about their travel preferences and desires. The results were highly positive and indicate travellers value travel and vacation time more than ever. Despite recent setbacks with the Delta and Omicron variants, almost 80% plan to travel in 2022.
The desire for fly and flop has been heightened as beach holidays top the wish list for travel in 2022 with 31% of respondents planning sun and sand getaways. Whereas, city breaks (28%) are expected to come back as the call of cosmopolitan culture returns.
The Omicron variant has doubled our desire to explore our own country– at the end of 2021 just one fifth of travellers were planning staycations and at the start of 2022 that number has increased to 36%.
Overall 28% of respondents are more likely to staycation as a result of Omicron. After two challenging years, 12% of Brits are planning all-out luxury, the trip of a lifetime to make up for all the lost travel in the pandemic years.
Italy has been identified as the number one destination for travellers from the UK. Furthermore, over half (51%) of those surveyed intend to keep their travels within Europe, and of those willing to explore beyond the continent, 18% are planning trips to North America and 13% to Southeast Asia.
Whilst the appetite for travel is clearly strong, the study also shows what travellers expect to change with 30% saying their travelling priorities will be different post pandemic. Booking flexibility and high sanitary standards topped the list of what the UK expect as a “must have” in 2022 and beyond.
35% of responders want clearer health and safety standards and 1 in 5 would be willing to pay more for a hotel room if it had a recognised cleanliness initiative award, such as Accor’s global ALLSAFE health and sanitary label. 38% seek more flexibility on changes to bookings.
A rare positive to come from the Covid years is the increased awareness of sustainability as a priority consideration. Sustainability and the impact of the trip on the climate and planet is now a factor for 84% of people. This influences choice around where to go, how to get there, where they stay and what to do while onsite.
Mindful Travel is set to be a major trend in 2022. The emotional and experiential role of travel also has more prominence now than ever before. With one respondent highlighting that, “One of my biggest priorities when going on holiday is boosting my mental wellbeing and leaving my stresses behind”.
Commenting on the findings and the report, Karelle Lamouche, Chief Commercial Officer, Accor Northern Europe, said: “Covid has not dampened our desire for travel, it complicated the process. Even though one in five had to cancel or postpone a trip due to the Omicron variant, people are still committed to travelling and to spending 39% more than they did in 2019.”
Going on to add, “It is clear that priorities have shifted in the last two years. Sustainability factors more than ever into the decisions people make. Work/Life balance is no longer just a tag-line and travellers have a new awareness of the positive impact that travel has on their wellbeing. In fact, a staggering two thirds of us want to travel as a way of boosting our mental health. We expect this trend for betterment, mindfulness, and wellbeing to be part of the travel experience for years to come, accelerated by the opportunities lost to Covid. Travel is back, experiences are back and Europe is starting 2022 with optimism.”
The full Accor Northern European Travel Trends Report is available to download here.
