A September 2020 survey of travel agents and tour operators by global travel marketers Travel Consul finds that health and safety certification is the #1 client consideration in choice of travel destination, cited by 74% of respondents.
Destination government management of COVID-19 and price rank #2 and #3.
When asked what DMOs can do to help travel partners most, top 4 answers were:
- Introduce health and safety certifications at the destination (cited by nearly 60%)
- Run consumer marketing campaigns
- Present useful/timely data
- Maintain an info hub for trade partners
Trends in traveler preferences cited by respondents included:
- Growing interest in:
- Solo travel (cited by 66%)
- Hotels and resorts (64%)
- All-inclusive resorts (60%)
- Self-catering rentals
- Small group (8-15) tours
- Fly-drive packages
- International advance bookings:
- 48% of clients haven't yet decided when to travel
- 21% say they will book less than a month in advance
- 31% of North American travelers are booking 7 -12 months prior to departure
Data sources preferred by agents and operators:
- Industry associations (64%)
- DMOs (40%)
- Industry friends (35%)
Top marketing channels for recovery:
- Social media (70%)
- Digital marketing
- Personal sales
