What is traveling around Latin America after the pandemic? In order to shed light on the subject for business and leisure travelers, as well as destinations and professionals in the travel industry, Interamerican Network, and its partners conducted a survey on the impacts and forecasts of tourism at the regional level after COVID-19.
The survey was carried out in the first fortnight of June, comprising 1,174 respondents from Brazil (44%), Mexico (22%), Colombia (13%), Argentina (12%), Chile (5%) and Peru (1 %). Of the total sample, 67% are women aged between 25 and 54, with a greater representation of the range between 35 and 44 years (30%).
The good news is that almost half of the respondents (46%) say they intend to travel in 2020, and another 18% consider traveling if they find a good deal. November and December are the preferred months by this group. Even when asked if they intended to take a trip during the New Year’s holiday season, 47% said yes, 18% that it would depend on a good promotion and 35% would completely reject the possibility. In contrast, 36% won’t consider traveling for the remainder of the year, mainly because they are concerned about the spread of COVID-19 (63%), and the financial difficulties caused by the pandemic (20%).
The reasons for choosing the next destination are mostly influenced by internet searches (28%) and friend recommendations (28%). Other sources include advice from travel agents (14%), social media (8%), travel influencers and bloggers (8%), advice from specialized outlets (7%) and advertising (7%).
As to the way of purchasing a trip, 50% of the respondents directly contact airlines, hotels, etc. Traditional and physical travel agencies and operators (chosen by 29% of respondents) are almost twice as popular as the OTAs (online travel agencies – chosen by 15% of the respondents). Independent travel consultants accounted for 6% of those surveyed.
The survey reflected that domestic travel is the first option for 54% of the participants, followed by Europe (19%), Latin America (13%), North America (9%) and Asia (2%). When considering a trip within Latin America, the preferred destinations are Argentina (20%), Mexico (18%), Peru (13%), Colombia (13%), Chile (12%), Brazil (12%) and Uruguay (6%).
When asked about the type of trip they plan to go on this year, 39% claimed to go to a sun-and-beach destination, while cruises and religious destinations were the least chosen, with only 1% each one. Other options are cultural trips (18%), ecotourism and rural tourism (13%), urban (12%), adventure (6%), gastronomy and wines (6%), and skiing (2%).
Of the respondents from Argentina and Chile, 52% said they would like to travel in the remainder of 2020, a figure well above the regional average. Furthermore, 48% would travel within their own country, while 18.5% would choose to travel across Latin America. Among the favorite destinations, Mexico is first, which is surprising as it is the farthest from the surveyed countries. It is followed by Peru, Colombia, Brazil and Uruguay, respectively. In the case of the Chileans, Argentina was ranked first. Another interesting fact is that 63% confirmed that they would travel for New Year’s celebrations if there were great deals.
Among Mexican respondents, Argentina was ranked as the favorite country to travel in Latin America, sharing first place with Peru. It is also the favorite of Colombians and Peruvians. For its part, Chile is chosen by Brazilians over other Latin American destinations, closely followed by Argentina.