• The research is welcome news for the travel industry, with 50% of travelers globally and 52% of those in Singapore expecting to take a flight for business later this year Singaporean business and leisure travelers are focusing on regional travel, with both groups ranking Asia as the top destination for their trips in the next year The global study of nine markets provides insight on traveler attitudes and sentiment around restrictions, digit
- The research is welcome news for the travel industry, with 50% of travelers globally and 52% of those in Singapore expecting to take a flight for business later this year
- Singaporean business and leisure travelers are focusing on regional travel, with both groups ranking Asia as the top destination for their trips in the next year
- The global study of nine markets provides insight on traveler attitudes and sentiment around restrictions, digital health data and sustainable travel
The survey of 9,074 consumersacrossFrance,Germany,India,Spain, Russia, Singapore,theUAE,theUK,andtheUS shows the appetite to travel is high. At the same time, itreveals that greaterclarity on restrictions and guidelines will be key tounlockingincreasedtraveler confidence. Over a third (35%) of travelers said the current international guidelines around where and how to travel are confusing, making them less likely to book businessand/orleisure travel.In Asia Pacific (APAC), 37% of travelers in India and 40% of those in Singapore shared the same sentiment.
At the same time, travelers are exhibiting increased openness to embrace technology anda willingness to share health data so they canstarttraveling again.
When asked aboutthe receptiveness to share personal health data,thesurvey results show:
93% of travelersgloballywould be willing to provide personal data for the effective use of digitalhealthpassportsorcertificates, a slight increase from 91% in February 2021. In both India and Singapore, the figure was slightly higher than the global average at 95%.
Almost half (48%) of business travelersworldwidewould be willing to provide their health data to visit a conference or event, compared to 53% in India and 54% in Singapore.Meanwhile36% of leisure travelers would be willing toshare such informationfor an excursion or activity at destination, versus 35% and 38% of Indian and Singaporean leisure travelers respectively.
When asked which technology would increase confidence to travel in the next 12 months, mobile solutionscontinue to be the mostpopular, with the top technologies including:
- Mobile applications that provide on-trip notifications and alerts (44%) (India: 55%; Singapore: 45%)
- Self-service check-in (41%)(India: 49%; Singapore: 53%)
- Contactless mobile payments (e.g., Apple or Google Pay, Paypal, Venmo)(41%) (India:47%; Singapore: 47%)
- Automated and flexible cancellation policies (40%)(India:42%; Singapore:45%)
Mobile applications and contactless technology have remained top technologies across all three studies, withtheaddition of automatedand flexiblecancellation policies in this final instalment.
The research is the third in a series of traveler sentiment surveys, where Amadeus takes a regular checkpoint on traveler sentiment and concerns to help the industry rebuild travel in the most effective way. Both the 2020 Rethink Travel survey (Sept 2020) andRebuild Travel Digital Health (Feb 2021) survey revealed how technology can help to increase traveler confidence and Amadeus revisited this question to see how traveler confidence has changed since September 2020. 97%of travelers now say that technology will increase their confidence to travel,upfrom 91% in February 2021 and 84% in September 2020, showinga growingsense of traveler confidence in technology.
- When considering the future of travel and sustainability, the survey highlightedwhat solutions travelersbelieve might help the industry to become more sustainable long-term. The results showed:
- Nearly half(46%) of travelers said greater availabilityofgreen modes of transport,e.g., electric planesortrains. The figures in India (51%) and Singapore (53%) were slightly higher.
- A similar percentage (44%) believe making sustainable travel more cost effectivewould be beneficial. Exactly half (50%) of the respondents in Singapore, and49% in India, felt this way.
- 41% say transparency around travel companies’ sustainability policieswould help.Here, too, the numbers were higher for APAC travelers, with 54% in India and 50% in Singapore rating this a priority
Although receptiveness totravel in the next year is high, the travel industry needs to considerhow to respond to changing traveler concerns as the travel environment continues toadapt.The three main concerns travelers have are:
- Fears of catching COVID-19 while traveling(41%)(India: 54%; Singapore: 54%)
- Self-isolationorquarantine before and after travel (41%)(India: 42%; Singapore: 44%)
- Changing restrictions resulting in last minute cancellations (37%)(India:29%; Singapore: 41%)
In comparison to the previous studies, fears of catching the virus maintain a top concern for travelers, alongside self-isolation,or quarantine.
Jonathan Tong, Vice President, Airline Solutions & IT Sales, Asia Pacific, Amadeus, says,“As countries in AsiaPacificachieve higher vaccination rates, theyare beginning to reopen their borders and restart international travel.However, it’s becoming increasingly clear that for international travel torestartin a meaningful way, technology willneed toplay a central role.For example, biometric and contactless solutions can help reduce transmission of the virus, while digital health passes will help create a more frictionless and stress-free experience for travelers. Amadeus continues to advocate for closer collaboration between stakeholders across the industry including, airlines, hotels, technology providers and governments, to expedite the industry’s recovery.”
DeciusValmorbida, President, Travel, Amadeus, says, “The travel industry still facesmany challenges in light of COVID-19,but we are seeing positive stepstakenas restrictions lift and developments in digital healthcertificatescontinuearound the world. This research demonstrates the appetite to travel continues to grow,andthattravelers are looking forward toadvancementsin areas such astouchless technology,digital health and sustainable travel. Now is the time to listeneven more closelyto travelers’ needsso we can rebuild our industryin a way that is more traveler focused, resilient and sustainable.”
FranciscoPérez-LozaoRüter, President, Hospitality, Amadeus,comments, “This three-part series of research has highlighted the essential role thatbothtechnologyand datahaveto play in the recovery of our industry and increasingtraveler confidence.In hospitalityspecificallywe are seeing how our hotel customers are implementing solutions that complement and streamline experiences without losing the human touchwhileusingdata to better prepare for guest demands. At Amadeus we are committed to rebuilding a better industry and working closely with our customers to provide the tools to achieve this.”
To learn more about the results of the survey, read ourglobalreport.
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