After months of restrictions, Germans are looking forward to an increasingly ‘normal’ everyday life. And this is the case of both day-to-day activities as well as vacationing.
During the summer, many will finally go on vacation again. But how has travel behavior changed exactly as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic? German travel platform Urlaubspiraten asked over 1,000 users whether and how their view of the topic of vacation has changed in the last few months.
Changed Travel Behavior
Security and flexibility were the most important aspect. Moreover, 37 % of those surveyed decided to explore new holiday destinations in Germany during the difficult months.
A quarter decided to take a vacation in their own homeland simply because of the uncertain situation. A full 79 % said that the pandemic made them realize how much they enjoy travelling to other countries.
Sustainability in Travel
With further easing of restrictions, half of respondents are now looking forward to being able to travel “like before” again soon.
Many holidaymakers reflected on their behavior through the travel break: a quarter of respondents decided that they want to travel more responsibly and sustainably in the future. 16 % said they had paid attention to a sustainable travel style before the pandemic.
This confirms a global trend highlighted by Booking.com. According to the company’s Sustainable Travel Report for this year, 46 % of respondents want to travel more sustainably in the future.
Moreover, the number of people eager to stay in sustainable accommodation facilities increased to 81 % in just five years (62 % in 2016).
Workation: A New Trend for (Almost) Everyone
Workation is about the idea of combining work with a private trip so that, for example, you can stay at your holiday destination for much longer.
A few years ago, there were only a few so-called digital nomads, who were able to work completely freely from anywhere in the world. But things are very different today: 76 % of the survey participants who go on a workation are employees, while only 5 % are freelancers or self-employed.
A full 40 % say that workation is the perfect way for them to extend their vacation and really get to know a new place. 37 % could even image moving permanently to another country thanks to remote work.
However, half of the respondents are sceptical of the trend and would prefer to keep work and vacation separate so that they do not have to worry about work during the well-deserved days off.
Business Travel Is Becoming Less Relevant
Finally, travel behavior has also changed in the context of business travel. 41 % think that some topics can only be clarified really well in face-to-face meetings.
For almost a fifth it is certain that business tourism will continue to be relevant in the future. 17 % of the respondents, on the other hand, realized during the changed everyday office life that most business trips could just as easily be replaced by video calls. 23 % even see video calls as the future of everyday office life.