Two out of three travellers eager to resume international travel looking for safety, relaxation and fun

37.9% of respondents stated that they will be willing to travel again as soon as travel bans are lifted, and will consider their options while being constantly updated.

MINDHAUS, a tourism marketing agency and member of V+O Greece, in partnership with Pollfish, a DIY research tool, gained valuable insights through a primary, qualitative survey regarding travel trends during the Covid-19 era.

The research probed and analysed behaviours and intentions for international leisure travel in a sample of 2,750 respondents from USA, UK, Germany, France and Italy.

37.9% of respondents stated that they will be willing to travel again as soon as travel bans are lifted, and will consider their options while being constantly updated. An additional and very promising 28.1% even stated that they will book the leisure trip they were dreaming about all this time. 

Although for all respondents finding a vaccine is the number 1 factor to start international leisure travel again, this specific group (66% of all respondents) when travel restrictions are lifted considers equally important clear H&S protocols during transport (11.8% of responses), destinations where Covid-19 had little impact (11.7% of responses) and pre-flight Covid-19 tests. 

They consider safety, relaxation/ ease of mind and having fun during their next vacations much more important than the previous year and more than affordability. They also value more, discovery (French) and adventure (US) for their next international trip.

According to the research and for the same of group of respondents, France (55%), UK (55%) and Germany (62%) are more ready to resume outbound travel, stating that they will be willing to take an international leisure trip within 2020.

“Although the situation looks dim for the next 3 months, we understand that 2 out 3 people are really eager to travel internationally as soon as travel restrictions are lifted and will not wait for a vaccine to be developed. We see also that travellers want a safe, relaxing but also fun and adventurous experience much more than before” said Theofilos Kyratsoulis, General Manager of MINDHAUS.  

"We know how important data is for businesses during COVID-19, especially for hard-hit industries like travel and tourism” said John Papadakis, CEO of Pollfish, “As a leading research tool, we’re glad to be able to offer the insights to help them get back on track."

The survey which run during 13 & 14 May 2020 asked people over 18 y.o. that had planned an international leisure trip in 2020, about their intentions to travel again and when, how has their budget been affected, with whom they will travel, with travel content have they interacted during the past 2 months, what type of experience they will look next and which are their favourite countries to visit for leisure with a special focus on the Mediterranean, among others.