COVID-19 INSIGHTS: Tourism and mobility
The pandemic has led to considerable and immediate changes in our travel plans with more than 50% of consumers having to reconsider travelling plans for the summer, and severe sector depression with hotel spending down by 90%, transportation spending down by 80%, and airline and travel bookings down by 90% and 85%, respectively.
Discover the full report and its insights.
We know, however, that mobility and travel are highly habitual and characterized by low-elasticity decisions that typically require external impetus to both convince and initiate changes in behavior. Indeed, when considering travels booked for later in the year, 78% still expect to be able to go, revealing more optimism in the longer term. Similarly, while 79% of Danes regard air travel as an environmental problem (signifying an increase of 11% compared to 2017), and 40% admit to experiencing guilt when booking a flight, only 4% actively intend to stop flying, and upwards of 80% have not paid a premium to carbon offset their travel.
But data collected during the pandemic confirms that the current disruption in mobility and tourism may in fact translate to long-term behavioral changes in several ways. In terms of tourism, 21% expect to generally spend less on travel in the future, and both shorter trips and more local travel options are considered viable alternatives to travelling abroad. As for mobility in a broader sense, existing transportation patterns are disrupted both privately and professionally with 28% expecting to work more from home in the future and 22% expecting to make more active use of flexible working hours. And while the use of private cars is only expected to very marginally decline, 20-21% expect to use public transportation alternatives, including metro, bus, and trains, less in the future (most likely as a partial offset for working more from home).
So, while much of the current disruption is likely temporary, it serves as a catalyst for marginal trends - that were previously part of our collective conscience but not acted upon - to take root. And as they do, opportunities will arise for those that understand the new face of customer mobility and the changing role of travel in recreation.
