One of the few activities that seem to be flourishing in the UK during the Covid-19-related lockdown of Britons in their homes is the taking of surveys and polls to tell Britons say how they feel about it. Following are the results of several such consumer and travel trade surveys. (Take heed, DMOs in Florida—Brits rank you No. 4 in a list of places they want to go for holiday.)
• What Brits Miss Most in Lockdown: VFR, eating out and holidays: Holidays are third in the list of things people are missing most in the lockdown, although Brits appear not to be in a rush to get travelling again.
A survey of 2,000 adults by TUI, the UK’s number one tour operator, has revealed that the things Brits miss most during the lockdown are: seeing friends and family (75 percent of survey respondents); eating out (47 percent); and then, holidays (38 percent). About travel and holidays:
—15 percent of Brits want to want to get away as soon as possible;
—16 percent want to travel by this winter; and
—45 percent want to take a holiday before summer 2021.
The above sentiments seem to influence potential travel choices as 20 percent of those responding said that they will be more likely to book a holiday with those family and friends they have been unable to see; and 21 percent getting destination inspiration from by looking at old holiday photos.
The top 10 destinations people intend to visit after the lockdown are: Spain; Greece; Italy; Florida; the Caribbean; Croatia; Turkey; Mexico; Thailand; and Dubai.
In releasing the survey findings, TUI said it was expecting to see in a rise in group bookings as families look to reconnect and that it has seen some possible early signs that multi-generation and big family holidays may be on the up as growth shows signs of bookings of more than two adults and two children versus last year.
• Covid-19 wreaks havoc on Selection of holiday insurance plans: Travel insurance comparison site Medical Travel Compared (MTC), three-quarters of UK holidaymakers won’t buy travel insurance unless it includes cover for Covid-19-related cancellations and disruption..
As a result, said Tommy Lloyd, MTC’s managing director, this could mean that many people will risk of travelling uninsured once the restrictions on overseas holidays are lifted. Of the more than 40 travel insurance providers MTC usually works with, only nine are currently listed on its site as the others have all withdrawn their travel policies or have withdrawn medical coverage for Covid-19. However, as reported in the UK travel trade publication TravelMole, Lloyd said even those that include medical cover for Covid-19, aren’t providing cover for Covid-19 travel disruption, including cancellations, he said.
The MTC survey of more than 3,000 people found that 10 percent of respondents have lost all or some of the cost of a holiday due to Covid-19 and four in five expect travel insurers to cover cancellation of a holiday for any reason due to the virus and three-quarters said they wouldn’t buy insurance if such cover wasn’t included.
Lloyd said that, since Covid-19 is now a known risk, no travel insurer will provide cover for cancellation or disruption caused by the virus, emphasizing that it was crucial that travelers had medical cover for Covid-19. Lloyd said that since Covid-19 is now a known risk, no travel insurer will provide cover for cancellation or disruption caused by the virus, but he said it was crucial that travelers had medical cover for Covid-19.
• Mental Health and Well-Being of Industry Employees Impacted: More than a third (36 percent) of people working in the UK tour and travel industry are actively considering leaving the industry as a result of the Covid-19 global pandemic that has virtually shut down international travel.
—Not only that, more than half (57 percent) of people working in the industry are considering leaving, and another 11 percent of those responding to a WorkAdvisor survey—”The Impact of the Coronavirus Crisis On People Working in the UK Travel Industry”—said that the Covid-19-related crisis has had a significant impact on their mental health and well-being.
—Causes included stress and anxiety relating to uncertainty about the future, the negative impact of Zoom or Slack causing intrusion and work distractions, being overworked as a result of the crisis and putting in extra hours.
—The WorkAdvisor survey, which was conducted last month, also found that: more than three-quarters of workers are concerned about returning to an office environment; 68 percent believe they will be working from home in the future; eleven percent said they were “very concerned” about returning to the office; and four percent said they would refuse.
—Also, 54 percent of respondents said that they have been furloughed, which is more than double the national average of 25 percent.
Commenting on the survey findings, a spokesman for WorkAdvisor said: “It would seem that the pressures of dealing with customers and refunds has piled on the stress for staff in the travel industry during the crisis and that having to work remotely has not helped workers handle the amount of work.”
