Greece is among the
top three international destinations that
American travelers are booking, according to a survey on tourism recovery in the
post-coronavirus era released by the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA).
The new findings from a survey of
USTOA’s Tour Operator Active Members on post-Covid-19 plans for recovery
and resumption of business, found that Italy topped the list of destinations of choice, followed by Ireland, and in third spot Greece, Germany, and the UK.
“We saw Europe have a strong presence
in last year’s survey and PwC’s survey the year prior, showing us that
there is still strong interest and growth for European travel amongst US
consumers,” said USTOA President and CEO, Terry Dale.
It should be noted that half (50
percent) of USTOA members anticipate returning to Europe in the second
quarter of 2021, 33 percent of which specifically named April 2021.
Two thirds (69 percent) of respondents to the survey conducted in late October, say they are confident or highly confident that guest bookings will increase in 2021
while nine out of 10 expressed their company’s outlook for resumption
of business in 2021 is optimistic or cautiously optimistic.
Indicatively, 63 percent of tour operator members reported an increase in new bookings in the last 60 days, while 29 percent reported no change with bookings remaining the same.
With regard to time of travel based on bookings made in the last 60 days, 92 percent of active agents said travel bookings were made for the third quarter of 2021,
79 percent for Q4 2021, 69 percent for Q2 2021, while 33 percent for
first quarter of 2021. Additionally, 21 percent reported bookings for Q4
2020 and 60 percent for 2022.
In terms of average age of those who
traveled or are booked to travel between July and December 2020, the
survey reports 43 percent in the 56-74 age group, 26 percent –
40-55-year-olds, 15 percent in the 24-39 bracket, 8 percent 23 or
younger and 8 percent – 75+.
According to the study, USTOA’s active members named
small group tours as the most popular travel product for 2021, followed by
private groups, FIT, river cruising, small ship cruising, and
classic group tours (25+ passengers).
Safety and wellness appear
to have the strongest influence on consumers choosing a travel
destination in 2021, followed by border reopening/government travel
restrictions and lastly, distance/ease of travel to and from
destination, value, and outdoor components.
Cancellation/refund policy was named
the top most frequently asked question during bookings in the last 60
days, followed by queries about health protocols and health/Covid-19
insurance policies.
Lastly, with regard to re-opening
business, active members named customer confidence as the biggest
obstacle to operating in 2021, followed by border closing and confusion
across countries/states and uncertainty of Covid-19 vaccine.
Other concerns included coordination
of protocols across states/borders/suppliers, availability of rapid
Covid-19 testing, flight connectivity, insurance coverage, news media
cycle, and insecurity about suppliers.
Source GTP
