How travel will change after lockdown
Safety assurances and government advice are more influential than discounts and promos
36% of Britons and 33% of Singaporeans said safety assurances are the most important factor when deciding to book a trip, followed by the advice of the government. Right now, health and safety is a more important deciding factor than discounts.
When people do want to book, price and location are still important
Once consumers decide that it is safe to book a trip, price and location will play an important role when booking transport, accommodation and other types of holiday travel. 54% of Singaporeans and 45% of Britons indicated price as a main priority for consideration when booking. With both Singapore and the UK announcing that COVID-19 has or will lead to a financial recession, it is likely that people will be more conscious about price and spending money.
Regardless, 44% of Britons and 42% of Singaporeans said that location was an important factor when booking accommodation, indicating that people still want to stay near to popular attractions and landmarks when they go away.
Social media comms directly from travel brands will be the most influential source of information in Singapore
In contrast to the UK, when we asked those Singaporeans who might travel which sources of information they will use to plan their next travel trip, the majority of respondents, 42%, said social media (direct from the brand).
Family vacations are going to be the most popular type of holiday
The majority of respondents in the UK and Singapore said that a family holiday is the most likely reason for them to book a trip.
17% of Singaporean respondents said they will travel for business, whereas only 6% of Britons selected this answer. In recent years Asia has become the epicentre for growth for business travel, accounting for more than a third of $US1 trillion in annual spending globally, and might explain why this type of travel will pick up more quickly in the APAC region.
Domestic holidays and staycations will be the norm
In the UK, when people do book a trip, the majority indicated that they are planning to book a trip in Europe (including UK) whilst 24% said that they are planning to book a staycation. Since the UK government announced a 14-day quarantine for all international arrivals, we conducted an additional survey which found that 48% people are more likely to book a holiday in the UK.
This is inline with a survey by YouGov which found that Britons are set to spend more on domestic holidays once the lockdown eases. This sentiment was echoed in Singapore where 10% said they will book a staycation and 53% said they won’t go farther than Asia.
