Travel

Skyscanner reveals travel trends for 2021, including ‘delaycations’ and flight upgrades


We’re all desperate to travel, but it may look different (Picture: Getty Images/fStop)

Travel-hungry Brits will be eagerly awaiting the announcement of ‘green list’ countries and dates they can jet off abroad, after over a year of mostly staying at home.

After a strange 13 months, those first trips are going to be relished, but according to Skyscanner research, they’ll look a little different to pre-pandemic holidays.

The flight price comparison site Skyscanner just released their findings on 2021 travel in new report – ‘The Return of Travel’.

From destinations on the come-up to how we’ll be flying in style, here’s what our holidays will look like this summer.

Delaycations

Although the popular summer months – July and August – are still a favourite (due to the school holidays), but more UK travellers are looking at holidays in September, October and November this year than in 2019.

It’s thought that overseas travel may be allowed again as early as May, but safety concerns are at the forefront of people’s minds, as 32% of survey participants said that they were planning around safety, with the destination that seemed the safest being their top choice.

Given we’ve had to delay existing holidays and perhaps miss vacations we would have gone on in 2021, the length of these ‘delaycations’ is changing too.

39% of survey participants said that they were planning a trip over 14 days in length so they can enjoy an extended holiday.



Skyscanner’s trending destinations for 2021

  1. Islamabad 
  2. Santorini
  3. Corfu 
  4. Crete 
  5. Dalaman 
  6. Larnaca 
  7. Istanbul 
  8. Dubai 
  9. Ibiza 
  10. Athens 

Green list travel

With the travel ‘green list’ announcement imminent, this will be impacting our decisions on where we go in 2021.

42% of those who took part in Skyscanner’s survey stated that quarantine was the biggest deterrent for travel, and the countries that will come out on top with holidaymaker are those that are working towards getting a spot as a UK travel corridor.

Laura Lindsay, Global Destination Expert at Skyscanner says: ‘It is clear that travellers long to get back out there, with bookings rising as soon as travel corridors open.

‘Interestingly, this is causing a shift in the way that our travellers think about destinations this year, with locations that are prioritising getting back to tourism rapidly rising in popularity.

British travellers still long for the balmy evenings of the Med but right now they are setting their sights further East. Turkey, Greece and Israel are all trending as likely options for that sunshine escape.’



Top destinations for couples in 2021

  1. Tenerife
  2. Santorini
  3. Rome
  4. Lanzarote
  5. Naples
  6. Rhodes
  7. Venice
  8. Jersey
  9. Fuerteventura
  10. Kos

A free pass to upgrade

Because prices are coming down as operators try to drum up interest post-lockdown, it’s predicted we’ll be offsetting those savings to travel in style.

Skyscanner found that UK travellers are spending less, with the average fare purchased coming in at 13% less than it did pre-pandemic, a result of lower fares and deals in a competitive landscape 

However UK travellers are choosing to ‘upgrade’ their travel, opting for fares on average 31% more expensive than the lowest shown to them for their route.

This suggests they are selecting fares with added extras such as flexibility or a higher covid safety score.

When asked which factors would make them pay for a more expensive flight over a cheaper one, 26% said they wanted to upgrade/splurge on their fare, and 29% said they’d pay more for flexible travel.

In the words of Tom Haverford, treat yourself.



Top group travel destinations for 2021

  1. Malaga
  2. Alicante
  3. Faro
  4. Palma
  5. Ibiza
  6. Orlando
  7. Krakow
  8. Dalaman
  9. Lanzarote
  10. Zante

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Get in touch at MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk.


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