Click&Go release figures from Travel Attitude Survey 2020

Click&Go, Ireland’s leading online travel agent has released a Travel Attitude Survey, providing valuable information on the top travel trends and destinations for Irish consumers since the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. The survey examined responses from over 5,700 Click&Go customers between the ages of 18 and 65.

Overall, consumers seem to be eager to for international travel to resume, but are concerned by the lack of clarity and communication from Government on current travel restrictions and guidelines. When asked when they thought holiday travel would return to normal, 36.2% of those asked responded Spring 2021, 30.7% voted Summer 2021, and 18.8% voted September/October 2020. In spite of this, many people are keen to travel as soon as possible, with over 61% stating that they would start planning their next holiday as soon as travel restrictions were lifted.

Most consumers are satisfied that airports are taking the necessary safety measures to protect travellers, with 70% voting ‘yes’ when asked this question. Similarly, over 60% of customers believed that airlines are doing enough to protect their passengers. Hygiene and health and safety measures are important to prospective holidaymakers, as almost all of the respondents to the survey stated that they would feel safer/more comfortable in hotels, restaurants and bars that are adopting clean and safe policies.

When booking their next holiday, over 70% of customers cited clear policies around cancellations and refunds and clear guidance from the Government regarding travel advice as two major factors that would make them feel considerably safer.

Paul Hackett, CEO of Click&Go, commented, “From these figures it is evident that customers want clear guidance on cancellation policies and Government travel advice. Essentially, the current travel restrictions in place from the Department of Foreign Affairs are preventing people who want to go on holidays from travelling abroad, and there is a distinct lack of clarity on this issue.”

He continued, “There is no basis for maintaining the advice against travel when every other industry is opening up in Ireland. This delay easing travel restrictions will further impact the travel industry, as Irish customers will be forced to wait to book their holidays, which will drastically slow the recovery of the Irish travel sector. Additionally the EU Commission, on 11 June called on all 27 EU member states to re-open borders and ease travel restrictions in a safe and co-ordinated manner. Ireland is not complying and that is impacting the inbound tourism industry, the aviation sector and outbound travel, combined they account for over 250,000 jobs in Ireland.”

Ireland’s favourite sun destination, Spain, remains popular with customers in spite of the current pandemic, with many customers stating that they would like to visit once travel restrictions are lifted, due to the reduced number of COVID-19 cases.  Lanzarote (41.3%), the Costa del Sol (30.6%), Majorca (21%) and Gran Canaria (19.6%) were the top voted locations. Portugal is also a key destination for consumers, with 41.5% willing to visit the Algarve, while the small nation of Malta is continuing to grow in popularity, attracting 18.8% of the vote.

Popular sun destinations:

• • Lanzarote (41.3%)
  • Algarve (41.5%)
  • Costa del Sol (30.7%)
  • Majorca (21%)
  • Tenerife (24.2%)
  • Gran Canaria (19.6%)