Having sacrificed vacation time in 2020, people want to make this year count—and that means leveling up their travel plans by spending more on luxury accommodation and destinations and planning more trips. This is according to Tripadvisor research, based on global traveler search and survey data across six markets (United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, Japan and Singapore), which revealed the 2021 travel mindset.
Despite the financial impact of COVID-19 hitting many hard, in the first three weeks of January, Tripadvisor travelers were searching for pricier trips than they had in the past two years during the same period. In fact, the average cost of a single future trip in 2021 has jumped 13 percent since January 2019.
U.S. travelers were longing for high-end trips and sunny beach getaways, both domestically and internationally. Miami Beach is the fastest recovering domestic destination, with southern neighbors Cancun and Puerto Rico are also popular. Travelers are also adding the white sands and volcanic landscapes of Martinique, the gastronomic delights of Armacao dos Buzios, Brazil and the bustling and vibrant Male in the heart of the Maldives to their travel wish lists for 2021.
More than one in 10 (12 percent) U.S. travelers said that they plan to splurge on more luxurious accommodations in 2021. In fact, Americans are among the most likely to have already booked a luxury hotel stay in 2021, and almost one in five have already done so (18 percent).
With more than a year of self-care to make up for, it’s little surprise that “luxury beach resorts” and “luxury spa resorts” have had high search demand in January 2021 and are recovering faster year-on-year than other accommodation types, according to Tripadvisor.
About one-quarter (24 percent) of global travelers surveyed said that they plan to take three or more international trips in 2021, with Americans leading the globe: One-third (33 percent) of U.S. travelers anticipate taking three or more trips abroad.
The data was gathered and analyzed from three key sources:
- A Tripadvisor Consumer Sentiment Survey, based on data drawn from an online survey of 2,330 consumers, in partnership with Qualtrics, conducted between December 28, 2020 and January 10, 2021 in the six aforementioned countries
- Site behavioral data sourced from first-party traffic data on the Tripadvisor platform, gathered between January 4 and 28, 2021
- Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best Awards for Destinations 2021, based on reviews and ratings for hotels, restaurants and things to do in destinations worldwide over a 12-month period December 1, 2019 to November 30, 2020 from Tripadvisor travelers
Source: Tripadvisor
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