As we enter the new year, the question on every destination marketer’s mind is when the tourism industry will recover from COVID-19, and what that recovery will look like.
To help answer that question, we were joined by two digital marketing experts from Simpleview, Aaron Nissen, Director of Digital Strategy, and Paul McLeod, Director of Analytics. Simpleview is a leading provider of integrated marketing solutions in the tourism industry, and Aaron and Paul joined us on a recent webinar to share insights and analytics from Simpleview’s 900+ customers around the world, and to offer their tips for destinations as we look to the year ahead.
As it stands, there are still several obstacles in the road to a full recovery. Cases are surging across the nation, and while news of a vaccine provides hope, many would-be travelers are still wary of the risks presented by leisure travel at this time.
Top factors preventing people from taking a trip in 2021:
- 60% concerned about spreading/ or contracting the virus.
- 46% concerned about travel restrictions in their destinations of interest.
- 42% are unsure about healthy & safety protocols.
However, the good news is that 58% of travelers are optimistic about the return of travel after the vaccine is widely distributed in the spring and summer of 2021, giving us good reason to believe that travel numbers will continue to rise in Q3 and Q4 of next year. Additionally, pent up demand for travel could result in a travel boom later next year.
During the webinar, Aaron and Paul dive deeper into the available insights from U.S. Travel, Destinations International, and more sources, identifying key metrics that marketers should keep their eyes on in the new year.
For weekly forecasting data and more insights on leisure and meetings travel, check out Simpleview’s Data Insights Hub.
Submitted by: Jade Porterfield, Simpleview