by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 11:34 AM ET, Tue March 23, 2021
Travel Consul has released its third Global Travel Distribution COVID-19 IMPACT Survey, reporting on key findings about the state of the travel industry and its recovery from 1,292 travel executives, including agency owners, independent agents and tour operators across five continents and twenty countries.
Two-thirds of those surveyed agree that immunity passports or e-vaccination certificates for international travel would boost bookings in 2021. Those surveyed in North America were less sure about the impact of these measures, with only fifty-seven percent agreeing. Forty-four percent of all respondents agreed that widespread vaccinations would help the industry's recovery.
Most travelers, when they need to choose whether to cancel or rebook their travel, are now choosing to reschedule their trips for a later date. Fifty-four percent of clients worldwide are postponing, instead of canceling, pointing to an increased hope for the future. North American clients are mostly rebooking for 2022, whereas the largest answer globally was for the third quarter of 2021.
Clients desire safe solo and all-inclusive travel. The interest in solo travel rose by eight percent since October 2020. More people than ever also desire an all-inclusive vacation because of the strict safety measures and on-site COVID-19 tests that many currently offer. The increase in consumer interest rose from sixteen percent in October 2020 to thirty-nine percent in the first quarter of 2021.
When choosing a destination, clients are more concerned about access to quality healthcare than they were prior to the pandemic, as well as the price of that healthcare and the overall health and safety measures the destination takes to combat the spread of COVID-19.
Travel advisors have had to adapt their businesses to the pandemic, strengthening customer service and adjusting their business models to fit unpredictable times. Almost half of the North American advisors surveyed stated that focusing on training was an important part of their businesses this quarter. Creating new products has been less of a focus, but the desire to explore new destinations has grown.
Lastly, travel advisors and clients both have benefited from suppliers' flexible cancellation and change policies. The policies are helping clients feel more comfortable booking international trips seven to one year in advance, the survey citing a seven percent increase from October.
"We know travel advisors will play a critical role in the recovery of travel and this study provides us with some great insights around what they need from partners to help their business recover," said Julie Cuesta, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of MMGY Myriad. "The tour operators and advisors have also been able to share some of the critical aspects that will impact consumer's future travel decisions including the impact of vaccinations, destination health and safety certificates and other critical elements."
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