Travel industry experts weigh-in on post-COVID trends

Never has there been a year when understanding the future of travel has been more important. Which countries can you travel to right now? Will I have to take a COVID-19 test during my journey? How many times will I need to change my face mask on the ufabet plane? Euronews spoke to travel industry insiders about these questions, and the future of travel in 2021 and beyond.

It’s been an undeniably rocky road but it’s hoped that thanks to new air corridors opening up and better testing protocols, trips abroad will start becoming easier again.

Travel, of course, won’t be the same as it once was, but maybe that won’t be a bad thing. Cities will be quieter, UNESCO World Heritage Sites won’t be over-crowded and the skies will be less polluted. The planet has had a breather, and although the tourism industry has been suffering massively, the pandemic has taught us a vital lesson – that travel is a privilege and not a right.

What is conscious travel?

After COVID, we predict the rise of the conscious traveller; this is someone who is far more discerning about the journeys they go on, willing and able to be away from home for longer (thanks to remote working), more appreciative of their surroundings and local people, and less reckless in their spending.

We have to choose trips that really mean something to us and are worth the effort and risk of making a journey to an overseas location (we predict the risk of catching the virus to be an ongoing issue for longer than we hope). So we have to adapt.

How will our travel habits change?

After endless months of cabin fever, there will be a universal hunger for wide-open spaces. In the US, for example, state and national parks have experienced huge influxes of visitors post-lockdown. The point-to-point holiday, whereby travellers fly to a single location and then return home, will be rivalled by an emerging trend for trips that take in multiple locations, occur at a slower pace, and are as much about the journey as the ultimate destination.

As people think more carefully about the way they travel, they will seek out hotels and travel companies that are doing everything they can to minimise their impact on the planet. We can also expect accreditation to gain prominence, as consumers look for reassurance from legitimate “eco-tourism” certifications.