When will the British public start travelling again?
/As Britain is still largely in the grip of lockdown, albeit emerging slowly, travel companies and tourism boards are looking to see what they can do to market their products and services. Here's a roundup of what will make visitors feel safe to book and when the majority are thinking of travelling again.
When will UK travellers feel safe to book a holiday?
While there’s still uncertainty, Simon Calder, an independent travel advisor, suggested UK travellers will need to consider five things before they will book any holidays. These include:
Can you get to the airport?
Has the FCO lifted advice against foreign travel?
Is there going to be an airline to take you?
Is the destination going to let you in?
Can you tolerate the UK’s quarantine rules on return?
Simon is also running a weekly poll that shows between 55-58% of people are fearful of travel.
A recent YouGov poll also suggested that only 14% of UK travellers would be ready to travel again in 2020. For example, if you’re a French destination or sell France, with 8.56 million Brits travelling a year to France, that makes approximately 1.2 million who might travel to France by the end of the year.
And finally at a News Live webinar on May 14th focusing on travel, it was suggested that November at the earliest would be when most would consider travelling outside of the UK..
Who are you catering for & possible travel trends?
Multi-generational travel may not be as popular as some predict. Travelling for larger family groups might be too soon in 2021, especially while 70-year-olds are still being asked to stay at home, or find that buying insurance is too expensive.
Self-travel or autonomous travel is the immediate trend mentioned by Duncan Craig travel editor of the Times & Sunday Times. It seems to be a safer option to travel in your own bubble, especially while the future of some airlines is in the balance. Self-drive holidays with the Eurotunnel or ferry and checking in to self-catering apartments or gites might feel safer.
However, as of May 15th, it’s still unclear as to whether travel to France is a possibility. Driving further to Spain and Portugal, for example, adds complexity as you will need to check whether you can enter all countries along the way. A safer option for the UK market might be Ireland only.
Longer holidays and fewer weekend breaks might be a pattern for travellers. Both Simon Calder and Lisa Minot, Travel Editor at The Sun, predict travellers will be taking one big holiday next year, "Two weeks at a time, rather than a scattering of smaller trips" suggests Lisa, while Simon agrees that tourists will likely “cherish” their holiday more and book fewer trips but spend longer away.
Small family-run hotels (rather than luxury) might have a better future is a prediction from UK travel industry expert Simon Calder in a Bright Talk with World Travel Market suggesting UK travel plans will become more modest.
Last-minute booking might be a more common behaviour. Simon Calder suggests brands should keep their nerve as many will be unwilling to book quite so far in advance so as to avoid disappointment. Holidaymakers will likely snap up deals late, maybe only even a few weeks in advance.
When should I start creating my content marketing?
If travellers are considering booking a foreign holiday for next year, they might choose the 2020/21 winter season.
Start thinking about Winter 2020/21 content now. With summer 2020 travel unlikely beyond the UK, use your time to plan and update your online content instead.
Now is the best time to start planning your content marketing efforts. Prepare for a September launch for the following winter. That gives you three months - June to September - over the summer to build your content and brand awareness across all of your social media channels and website. I posted some simple steps here for you to think about.
Contact us for a free consultation
If you’re unsure what content to focus on, contact quinntessentiallycontent@gmail.com for your free 30-minute content consultation.
Resources:
News LIVE - Adapting as a travel editor - May 14, 2020
Bright Talk with WTM: Travel Talk with Simon Calder Apr 30, 2020