It would be an understatement to say that 2020 was a year of change and reflection. With the COVID shutdowns, travelers found their options limited, and it has changed their outlook. People are more cautious about traveling, but they want to travel. After months in lockdown, they’re ready to go but with parameters.
Source: https://blog.smartvel.com/blog/travel-trends-in-2021
A Travel Leaders Group and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) survey of 3,000 travelers found that nearly 70% originally planned to vacation in 2021. Euronews also says people want to travel. The ability to travel, however, is still up in the air depending on destination and origin, citizenship and vaccination status, among other factors.
Now more than ever, travelers are looking to the travel industry for guidance: Where can they go? Will they need to quarantine when they get there? Is the current situation safe? As a result, the travel industry has embraced new technology and looked for ways to reassure travelers that they’ll be safe should they choose to travel.
Due to the pandemic, travel organizations have found themselves highlighting cleaning protocols, eliminating change fees, and keeping travelers informed of changing regulations.
For example, airlines like United, Iberia, and JetBlue experiment with different cleaning protocols that include touchless technology at baggage check-in and electrostatic pistols that shoot a disinfecting powder in the cabin to clean everything, including headrests and armrests.