New research shows that over a third of British consumers want to travel abroad in the next six months.
The results of the survey reveal that the rollout of the Pfizer vaccine has resulted in 41% of the entire UK population feeling more confident to travel abroad by the summer of next year.
The vaccine is clearly welcome and a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done to re-energise travel and tourism in the long term.
Martin Nolan, Head of Regulatory Affairs for Skyscanner, said: “Our survey’s findings clearly show the vast majority of travellers are feeling overwhelmed; the varying restrictions and the numerous requirements around international travel can be confusing to travellers who are planning and booking trips.
“Travel is global and interconnected, so we need to see coordination at an international level with consistent measures which put the traveller first.
“As we look towards the new year, we would welcome more harmonisation across the industry, with international governments and regulatory bodies focused on making the journey for travellers smoother.”
Among those who do have plans to travel abroad, 77% said difficulty in understanding the current options dissuades them from doing so.
When asked what measures would encourage them to fly with specific airlines, nearly half said mandatory mask wearing (45%) or improved cleaning processes (45%), while 43% said having a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of travelling was the most important.
Those keen to travel are also motivated by using their remaining annual holiday allowance. In the survey, of those currently employed, just over 28% had annual leave still to use, with more than half of these having more than one week’s leave yet to take and were considering carrying it over to next year.
When prompted specifically, 15% of respondents said they would consider travelling abroad in December, though fewer than half of those who responded positively (45%) had a firm destination in mind.
The survey of 2,152 adults, carried out for Skyscanner by independent market intelligence firm AudienceNet, was carried out on 27th, 28th and 29th November 2020.
