Holiday habits are going to change after the pandemic, but it is not stopping the Britons to take a holiday post lockdown.
A customer survey by The Personal Travel Agents at Co-operative Travel has revealed that Britons are eager to take a post-lockdown holiday, as soon as they are able.
The survey of 1,600 customers shows a healthy appetite for holidaying, once lockdown and travel restrictions are loosened, with 39% of respondents saying they would like to travel ?ASAP?, at the point that travel restrictions are lifted. 8% said they would wait at least two months after destinations re-open, before taking a breakaway, 11% said three months and 13% claimed they would wait at least six months before packing their suitcase for a much-needed escape. While, 29% said they plan to wait until 2021 to travel again.
While the majority are keen to get away, in some shape or form, the research revealed that Britons will be exercising caution when it comes to deciding where and how they holiday in the future. 62% selected Europe as the destination they would like to travel to next and 10% chose the UK, suggesting that customers will opt to holiday close to home, over a far-flung destination. Of the long-haul holiday hotspots, the US was the most popular with 10% of respondents choosing it, followed by Mexico and the Caribbean at 9% and the rest of the world receiving far smaller numbers.
The survey revealed that it?s the traditional beach break that holidaymakers have missed and are craving the most right now. 66% of respondents selected a ?beach? holiday as their preferred post-lockdown escape, beating city breaks (38%), UK staycations (15%), touring holidays (14%) and cruises (11%) hands-down.
When it comes to choosing accommodation, the survey found that the pre-pandemic favourite of ?all-inclusive? is likely to be rivalled by ?self-catering? going forward. 40% people said they would still opt for all-inclusive but an equal number said they would choose self-catering, potentially due to concerns about shared spaces and restaurants. Bed and breakfast and half-board are the least popular accommodation choices for future travel, according to the poll.
Lastly, holidaying with immediate family (51%), or partner/close friend (59%), are by far the most popular choices for the first getaway post-Coronavirus. After being in lockdown, just 3% said they would travel solo.
Sheena Whittle, head of the personal travel agents at Co-operative Travel, said: ?We all know we?ll emerge from this into a different travel landscape and with an altered mindset about how we travel, but the British passion for holidays will drive the travel industry revival when restrictions are lifted.?
Image Credit: barnyz/ Flickr
