The travel industry has taken an enormous hit since coronavirus hit – with holidays cancelled, planes grounded and plans indefinitely postponed. To some, it looks irreversible.
David Proudlock, Head of Strategy at the London office of Crispin Porter Bogusky, says that travel isn’t going anywhere in a hurry – and once lockdown is lifted, travel brands need to take a few steps to regain traction and keep people exploring.
Last week Longwood, a market research firm for the travel industry, released a study of US consumer attitudes towards travel, in light of the virus. OK, it’s a US-only study, but the headline finding is probably representative of many people currently affected by the pandemic: 82% of those surveyed have already changed their travel plans for the next six months.
No shit Sherlock, I hear you say.
What’s interesting though is that the percentage of people who indicated that the coronavirus pandemic would “greatly impact” their decision to travel in the next six months had declined over the previous four weeks, from 67% to 61%.
Similarly, a survey by UK travel expert Simon Calder showed that there was a 3% increase between April 23rd and April 30th in the number of Brits who would consider taking a European holiday in July. It’s only a slight increase, but it was also over one of the most dramatic weeks in the UK in terms of Coronavirus headlines.
Both these surveys show a gradual trend that fits with what those of us working with airlines and other travel brands believe: in due course, the much-touted ‘new normal’ could look a lot like the old one. Yes, the industry will undoubtedly be a slimmed-down version of itself for some time, but the overall appeal of travel and tourism is not going to disappear into thin air overnight.
So how could travel brands win with consumers, once travel restrictions ease up?
