Travel Trends for 2021 and Beyond
The Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on a number of areas of our lives, no more so than on our vacations. According to Value Penguin, 72% of Americans didn’t take a summer vacation in 2020 and 44% of working Americans did not use any of their paid time off as the population looked to avoid crowds and stay safe at home. Thankfully, now that the vaccination program has rolled out across the country, and Americans are feeling more confident about venturing farther from home, the travel industry can finally start to get back on its feet.
Now is the perfect time to be targeting prospects and we’ve collated all of this year’s key travel trends for your travel marketing campaigns.
A Focus on Staycations
Yes, it’s true that we’re nowhere near the all-time travel slump that was 2020, but that still doesn’t mean there aren’t some long-lasting consequences for our travel habits. One key trend for 2021 is domestic tourism, especially given the ongoing travel restrictions for going abroad. The pandemic saw a huge rise in Americans visiting national parks and that craving for nature, space, and the great outdoors is expected to continue in 2021 and beyond.
According to a Tripadvisor report, nearly 70% of hotel bookings were for future domestic trips and 80% of the Americans surveyed in the report stated they plan to make at least one domestic trip this year.
Mixing Business with Pleasure
First, there were staycations and now there are workations. One of the upsides to the pandemic for many of us was being freed from the office to work remotely from wherever we chose. That freedom has led to a demand for a new form of vacation: one with a desk, good wifi, and the possibility to enjoy the surroundings once the daily Zoom calls have finished. So, although 59% of respondents to Booking.com’s survey agreed that due to the increase in working from home and reliance on technology, business travel will be considered less essential than before, it is also true that 42% of American respondents said they would consider booking a workation.
Traveling on the Road
Road travel proved popular in 2020 for those Americans who did manage to take some time off. According to Priceline’s recent survey, 9 out of 10 Americans have taken at least one road trip since March 2020, with 75% taking more than four. For families, this shift from air travel to road travel looks set to carry on as a Forbes report shows that 83% of parents feel uncomfortable traveling with their children on a plane at the present time.
So how will families travel in 2021? While many will simply use their own car, some may rent a car to travel longer distances and other families may turn to RV rentals. In fact, RVshare reports that 57% of Americans consider RV travel more appealing than before COVID-19. For those who are already planning their vacation this year, Yellowstone National Park appears to be the most popular destination for RVers.
Last-Minute Trips Reign Supreme
If you’re thinking that it’s too late in the year to be marketing summer vacation destinations to consumers, think again. The usual vacation planning period has been dramatically shortened as Americans look to avoid planning too far ahead due to potential Covid restrictions. RVshare’s survey shows 72% of travelers don’t want to book too far ahead of their travel dates and that 75% of respondents agree they need to be flexible when booking travel since COVID guidelines are always changing.
Making the Most of 2021’s Travel Trends
If you’re interested in taking advantage of these travel trends for your marketing campaigns, LBDigital has built specific on-trend audiences for all marketing channels, including email, mobile, web, direct mail, CTV, gaming, digital audio & other digital channels. So whether you’re marketing family reunions, destination vacations, or RV travel, we have the perfect audience for you. Get in touch with us today to discuss your data needs.