1. Travel more and go big
After two years of restrictions due to the Covid-19, 2022 is the year of a renewed excitement for travel. A report from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) showed that travellers are willing to “go big” and explore more on their next getaway this year and that 2022 has been even more popular for travel demand than pre-pandemic levels. This trend was also reflected in the survey; in the question "How often do you plan to travel in 2022?", over half the respondents (56%) replied that they planned to travel more compared to 2021. 2022 is not over yet and there is still time to welcome new guests!
2. Go far
Guests feel they have lost two years of their lives, so they are experiencing a “new sense of urgency” to travel and desire to tick off their bucket-list trips, in particular to intercontinental destinations and Europe. In fact, according to the survey results, 75.5% of travellers planned to travel internationally, with a third of them planning an intercontinental trip. Out of this 75.5%, most respondents from Germany, Italy and Portugal were taking continental trips within Europe, while most of the respondents from Spain, France and the United Kingdom were willing to go overseas in 2022. Hoteliers, be prepared to receive more international travellers!
3. Flight schedule
There are several factors travellers consider when purchasing a flight. By choosing among loyalty programmes, rebooking flexibility, flight schedule and in-flight services, the most important criteria when buying a flight for almost 60% of respondents, is the flight schedule. Only 20% think having rebooking flexibility is the most important aspect when buying a flight. At eOC, we know how important it is for our partners to understand the guests’ booking trends such as the time customers tend to check in and check out. This often depends on the flight schedule. Our partners are able to get insights about flights that their property can benefit from.
4. Family holidays and romantic getaways
With 27% of respondents each, family and couple holidays are the two types of holiday that travellers would take in 2022. The remaining 20% would visit friends and relatives and close to 16% chose solo travel. Regarding the nationalities, Spanish and Portuguese respondents opted for family holidays this year, while most of the German, French and Italian prefered couple getaways. On the other hand, the highest percentage of UK travellers would visit their friends and family.
Is your property ready to welcome these segments of travellers? Make it more appealing to key travellers!
5. Beach destinations
Among adventure, beach, culture, food, nature and volunteering, 26% of respondents, the majority from Germany and France, replied that the beach is what they looked forward the most on their next travels. After a multi-year suspension due to Covid, travellers are excited to discover new sun-kissed destinations or get back to their favourite ones. Travellers from the UK preferred culture, followed closely by adventure trips. Interviewees from Spain also chose culture as their most desired theme for their next holiday.
Hoteliers based in sun-splashed destinations, get ready to open doors to beach lovers!
