Who will be travelling and which destinations will be avoided?
Once lockdown began in the UK, we all believed that we would lose our great British summer, full of trips across the world for a well-needed holiday. However, as the pandemic has become more under control in many parts of the world, the idea of going on holiday is no longer such an uncertain topic.
As more and more countries start to open up their borders for visitors, we’ve done some research to see if the British public are still keen on taking that holiday abroad and whether any countries are going to be avoided due to the health risks.
Quick overview
Over a third (36%) of Brits have no plans to travel over the next 12 months.
3 million Brits (6%) will never travel again.
Over half (52%) of Brits plan to make travel plans over the next year.
How many Brits are planning to travel this year?
It’s clear that not everyone is set on travelling abroad in a post-corona environment, with just under 19 million Brits (36%) not planning on travelling this year, and with a further 3 million (6%) never travelling again. Of the 52% of Brits that are planning on travelling, 16% will wait till 2021 and 18% will wait a further 6 months to travel in the second half the year. This is followed by 10% who waiting until a treatment becomes readily available to combat the virus.
It is apparent that not everyone is set on going on holiday in the current state of things. We can only see if changes in government guidelines over the coming months would lead to a change of opinion, as currently, 62% of those planning on travelling will only travel to corridor destinations that do not require them to self-isolate upon their return.
Do you think you will travel abroad at any point over the next year?
Percentage
Yes
52.10%
No
35.95%
Don't know
10.90%
I've already been abroad
1.05%
Where will we be travelling to?
Of course, the pandemic is not over yet, and in some countries across the world, COVID-19 is still prevalent. In addition to this, the UK has imposed self-isolation rules for travellers returning from certain countries, which just 38% of people are happy to do. This has led to many Brits avoiding certain destinations to avoid the risk of catching something more than a tan and to avoid having to stay holed up upon their return.
Out of the 36 million Brits planning on travelling over the coming year, almost half will avoid Asia (44%), South America (43%) and Africa (43%). A smaller percentage will avoid Europe, with 22% avoiding a trip to Eastern Europe, 16% refraining from booking a trip to Western Europe and 13% staying clear of Northern Europe. From this, it is clear to see that normally popular tourist destinations are being avoided.
Another area to examine is how the different generations feel about travelling abroad. Only 23% of gen Z and 25% of millennials won’t be travelling over the next 12 months, as opposed to 57% of the silent generation. 36% of the silent generation have also decided to never travel internationally again.
A further aspect to evaluate is the regional differences. Only 27% of Londoners won’t travel over the next 12 months, as opposed to 44% of South Westerners. This is quite surprising, seeing as London was one of the worst-hit regions for COVID-19 cases.
Finder’s insurance expert Danny Butler gives his advice:
“It’s not surprising that the pandemic has caused many Brits to change their views on travelling abroad, however those customers who are planning to do this should err on the side of caution when it comes to travel insurance. There’s a number of providers out there that currently cover emergency medical care and repatriation as a minimum (should you contract coronavirus on your trip). However, the majority of travel insurance providers do not cover cancellation due to coronavirus since it’s a “known event”.
“If you want to be adequately protected on your next trip, it’s important to have a policy that includes emergency medical treatment and repatriation as a minimum. There are a select few providers that cover cancellation as an addition – but these policies are likely to cost you significantly more. Since guidance on travel is rapidly changing, the best thing to do is contact your provider directly before taking out a policy.”
For all media enquiries, please contact
Matt Mckenna UK communications manager T: +44 20 8191 8806
Methodology
Finder commissioned Onepoll over 10-14 July 2020 to carry out a nationally representative survey of adults aged 18+.
A total of 2,000 people were questioned throughout Great Britain, with representative quotas for gender, age and region.
Danny is a publisher at Finder specialising in car, life, home, business and pet insurance. He previously worked at the global insurer Aon and has appeared in national media giving advice on insurance. Danny holds a BA in International Business from the University of Plymouth and has undying loyalty to his average-poor football team, Portsmouth FC.
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