Ahead of the World Tourism Day which will take place on Sunday 27th September, Airbnb has released its report, revealing the latest trends among consumers in the Travel & Tourism sector. According to the report, online searches for accommodations over the past few months are reflecting how post-pandemic consumers are viewing travel in the new world, highlighting several unique trends.
In particular, travelers are more and more concerned about hygiene and safety measures, as well as seclusion to abide with social distancing measures. People are organizing more trips that are off the beaten track and that include unique experiences. The new travelers search for properties in the nature, or with a large number of outdoor amenities, or that have luxury features.
Amanpreet Bajaj, General Manager of Airbnb India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan, declared, “There is a gradual shift in consumer behavior towards travel. Our recent search trends have pointed to the fact that travelers are looking to explore safe and hygienic accommodations that offer flexibility. Bookings trends have shown us that unique stays and large homes have emerged as a choice for family and friends to be together for breaks and longer stay options. We see additional interest in amenities that offer a home away from home, and long-term travel that appeals to a number of individuals and families who want to establish a remote working base outside of their homes. We feel that these trends will continue to drive the market with demand with customer service innovation, and more intimate accommodation formats”.
Airbnb report highlights some of the key trends observed over the past 3 months. The top travel trends include Live Anywhere, the Quest for Unique Accommodations, Clean is the New Green and Resurgence of International Travel Corridors.
1. Live Anywhere
Post-pandemic travelers want to organize longer stays in fully equipped large houses which include Wi-Fi, kitchens, and outdoor access. Over 20% of searches on Airbnb within the last 90 days in India have been for long-term stays (more than 28 nights).
This shows that with access to technology and remote working infrastructure, people are willing to relocate to new accommodations for months at a time.
2. Unique Accommodations
In the past 3 months, 45% of travelers’ searches were for tree houses, 41% for barns and 34% for farm stays. Furthermore, nearly one fifth of searches was for ‘trips with kids.’
Millennials are also looking for places that are great to photograph and to post on social media.
3. Clean is the New Green
Travelers are looking for some specific amenities, in particular Wi-Fi, kitchens and pools. The report shows indeed that around 23% of guests searched for houses with Wi-Fi connection as a top amenity, followed by kitchens and pools. This highlight the importance of great internet connectivity for digital nomads.
4. New international travel confidence
The report shows that consumer confidence in travel continues to build. As the Indian government started to open more travel bubbles with different countries, the sentiment and searches for key destinations such as the USA, UK and UAE are rising.
