A recent survey commissioned by Maier Sports reveals changing habits for the British public throughout lockdown as they get outdoors more often and plan to travel as soon as they can.
Some of the key findings from the survey of 1,740 respondents include:
- 30% have taken up a new outdoor activity during lockdown
- 23% saying they are more likely to book a cycling holiday
- 25% more likely to choose a camping holiday than before
- 48% have purchased some outdoor gear since lockdown started in March
- 79% planning on purchasing new hiking, running or cycling gear in the near future
- 55% said they had been inspired to go on more walking holidays in future (23% saying they are more likely to book a cycling holiday and 25% more likely to choose a camping holiday than before)
- 22% say they are more likely to walk or cycle to work in future
The lockdown rules across Great Britain always allowed for daily exercise, unlike several other European countries and a recent survey has suggested this has had a major impact on the habits of British people across all regions and age groups.
A very significant 30% of the people surveyed say they have taken up a new outdoor activity during lockdown. Walking/hiking was the most popular with cycling and running also seeing a good percentage of new participants.
These numbers are backed up by people’s purchases with 48% of all respondents having bought some outdoor gear since lockdown started in March and 79% planning on purchasing new hiking, running or cycling gear in the near future.
From a travel perspective, things look very positive, particularly for the outdoor/active travel sector.
55% said they had been inspired to go on more walking holidays in future with 23% saying they are more likely to book a cycling holiday, and 25% more likely to go camping this year. These figures will give heart to tour operators and destinations that provide holidays for people looking to focus on outdoor activities.
22% of all respondents say they are more likely to walk or cycle to work in future. When you take into account that 70% of respondents said their commute was too long or the question didn’t apply to them, this number is hugely significant from an environmental point of view, as well as those from our industry who sell cycling and walking gear and accessories.
Perhaps the most important question asked was how likely people are to book a holiday this year. The question was shaped around the 14-day quarantine period being lifted to ensure an accurate result. Just 18% said they wouldn’t travel at the moment, and this, understandably with the nature of the virus and those it affects most, reduced to just 12% in the under 50’s age group. These numbers show that the UK market has a strong desire to travel and highlights the fact that those who love the outdoors are less likely to give up their adventures than your average holiday maker.
Stefan Taft, Marketing Director of Maier Sports, said: “We are delighted to see this renewed interest in getting outdoors, something we have seen reported in other European countries too. These results back up what we were already hearing anecdotally – that getting outdoors is becoming a habit again for many. It is good news for the industry but more importantly both the physical and mental health benefits are something we passionately believe in.”
Jim Walker, Publisher of Active-Traveller.com, said: “You can see why people might not want to book city breaks in the wake of Coronavirus – cramming onto public transport, or shuffling through busy museums doesn’t have quite the same appeal. But these stats show that people are still very keen to travel when they can, and it looks like the new, adventurous hobbies they took up during lockdown will be driving their choice of destination for the foreseeable future.”
“The overwhelming strength of those stats should give everyone in the travel sector real hope that we will see a strong and quick bounce as restrictions are lifted. It is vital that the adventure travel industry rides that wave and keeps those newcomers on board for the future.”
