International travel, including outbound travel from the U.S., is picking up steam rapidly and working up to a very strong surge later in the year, according to speakers on a panel called "The Return of Long-Haul Travel Marketing Strategy." The virtual panel was part of the MMGY Mojo Summit being held virtually and in person in Tampa. Speakers also said that travel advisors and tour operators would play a very large role in the resurgence. MMGY Global is a travel and tourism marketing agency.
Craig Compagnone, COO of MMGY Global, said the company's surveys show that the percentage of people who want to travel internationally this year is not much less than it was pre-pandemic so that demand is strong. He said "we know U.S., travelers are searching and booking internationally this year and into 2022. "
"We are very optimistic," said Amanda Hills, president of MMGY Hills Balfour in London, as more and more destinations open. She said that a surprising 300,000 people from the U.K. traveled to Spain recently even though they had to quarantine on their return home because Spain is on the "amber list." The U.K. has a "traffic light system" for international travel with "amber list" countries having tighter restrictions. The main reason people are traveling, she said, is for rest and relaxation - and to spend time with the people they couldn't see during the pandemic. They also want to see events and be entertained because, said Hills, "they have been watching Netflix for too long."
Hills said that travelers are looking for destinations where they feel safe and that is good news for the U.S. She said "we will see more of a dependency on the travel trade." She explained, "Intermediaries will be more important than ever because people want safety and security and they want to be sure they can have refunds and have flexibility on rescheduling," adding that it has been interesting watching the travel trade adapt to "massive shifts" as it has been "dynamic and disruptive."
Julie Cuesta, managing director of MMGY Myriad in the U.S., said that affluent Americans feel like they have the finances to travel because they have been saving through the pandemic. "Americans have had enough of home and want to do the experience they feel liked they've missed."
Europe is alike a "shiny new toy" for Americans who have been traveling to the Caribbean and Mexico during the pandemic, said Cuesta, and want to go somewhere else. She said European travel is "the news story of the moment" with both trade and consumer journalists wanting to talk about it. And potential travelers, she said, are looking to travel advisors to tell them what they can and can't do. She said international travel will be "on top of everyone's mind for the next few months."
Panelists also saw staying power for the trends of longer trips and working while on the road. Said Cuesta: "People will be telling their bosses: I'm going to Europe; can I stay a few extra days and work from there?" Also, she added, a lot of Americans have not used their 2020 vacation days and want to do so now so they will take longer vacations than they have in the past.
Looking ahead, Hills said the industry has to focus on 2022 in addition to booking the short-term travel that's resulting from pent-up demand. She explained places like Asia and Australia will not see international travel until then so it's necessary to consider those destinations and also to consider those who might not be ready to travel in the near future.
As for where people will go, Hills said many will return to places where they have traveled before in the interest of familiarity and comfort, and others will go to destinations new to them where they can spend extended periods as part of the "slow travel" movement.
Another long-term trend, said Cuesta, is seasonality, with this period presenting a huge opportunity for destinations to rethink how they address it and for travel advisors to consider how they can extend the seasons.
"We need to talk to travelers differently," said Anthony Dalton, managing director of MMGY Hills Balfour Dubai. He said people will be looking for different things - like privacy and space "and we can't fall back on the marketing plan we had ready pre-pandemic."
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