Tripadvisor Reveals 2020 Summer Travel Index: Australian travel confidence on the rise

 Tripadvisor, the world’s largest travel platform, today released findings from its Summer Travel Index for 2020, providing insights into what Australians are up to for the holidays. The big takeaway is that despite COVID-19 concerns, almost two thirds – 65 percent – of Australians are still thinking about travel and where they want to go next.

Recent Tripadvisor site data shows Australia has increased in domestic popularity since 2019 and are recovering from the pandemic much faster than other APAC travel destinations. In Australia, year-end domestic trips are booming with 58 percent of travellers booking 2-5 night stays.

By the Numbers: 2020 Summer Travel Trends

• Travel is down in most APAC markets, but in Australia and Singapore, travel interest has grown to well above 2019 volumes (+11.5 YoY in Australia and +34.8% YoY in Singapore)
• Doing extra homework before trips: For their next trip, more than 60% of Australian travellers will be doing more research and planning than they did pre-pandemic.
• Supporting local businesses is vital. 71% of Australian travellers surveyed indicated that they would prefer to travel to destinations to support their local business
• Outdoor and Nature trips are still preferred: 42% of travellers are most likely to pick outdoor and nature type destinations as compared to pre-pandemic.
• Dining out in December: 61% of Australian travellers will be out and about dining in restaurants in December – this is in line with the number of COVID-19 cases in Australia trending downwards, and lockdown measures easing across states.

“As we continue to navigate the disruptions the pandemic has brought upon the travel industry in 2020, it’s heartening to see some bright spots of recovery in APAC and that travellers here remain positive that travel will return,” said Jane Lim, VP for Global Markets at Tripadvisor. “We are seeing Australians actively explore staycations and local getaways, especially as we head into the year-end holiday season, with 55 percent of travellers looking to spend time with family and friends and celebrate in small, close knit groups.”

“After a challenging year, confidence in future travel plans continues to rise. 78 percent of Australians feel at least moderately safe to travel this holiday season.” said Christopher Hsi, Consumer Market Research Lead Analyst for Tripadvisor. “As we look ahead to 2021, flexibility and safety will remain top priorities. And with recent positive news about vaccine developments, confidence is likely to grow. In fact, over three-quarters (79%) of Australians believe that it’s safer to travel now than it was three months ago.”