| Hotels.com said "spontaneity" will be the buzzword for travelers in 2021 due to the unpredictability caused by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. gettyimagesbank |
By Jun Ji-hye
Demand for last-minute searches for hotels has surged, with an increasing number of people looking for spontaneous travel, as social-distancing rules remain in place amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, according to global online travel agencies.
Hotels.com said "spontaneity" will be the buzzword for travelers in 2021, citing its new global report ― "The 2021 Upgrade" ― that revealed 87 percent of travelers around the world intend to be more impulsive than ever in their choices for excursions.
The study showed that travelers in Korea will display similar behavior, with 84 percent of the respondents planning to be more spontaneous this year.
The findings from the report were based on research conducted in December last year on 12,300 people in 15 countries.
Hotels.com said the trend for spontaneous trips comes in response to the unpredictability caused by the public health crisis. More and more travelers are opting to go on trips on the spur of the moment, because it has become difficult to make long-term plans in advance due to the possibility of sudden and unexpected changes in quarantine rules.
The travel agency noted that 2021 will also see the emergence of so-called "revenge travel" as people who are fed up with lockdowns embark on overseas trips with a vengeance.
This trend is expected to have a dramatic impact on hotel bookings, with the study indicating that 32 percent of the respondents in Korea wish to stay in luxurious lodgings with a nice view, compared to the global average of 27 percent.
The findings in Korea also showed that 29 percent intend to make reservations at fine restaurants in their hotels that they would have normally avoided, whereas only 18 percent of global respondents would.
The desire for travel among Koreans appeared to be very strong as nearly a quarter of the respondents (23 percent) said they would be willing to give up alcohol for a month just to go on holiday again.
It is not just alcohol they are willing to give up. The research revealed that Koreans would give up smoking (22 percent), and even chocolates and sweets (21 percent) for a month to go on holiday.
"2020 was a year of staying home and cancelling trips. One thing we can all agree on is that monotony of the year has given everyone the desire to seize the day when travel returns and go on trips they missed out in 2020," said Jason Kim, the regional director of marketing of North Asia at the Hotels.com.
"Understanding these needs, Hotels.com will continue to offer flexible booking options along with free cancellation policies on most hotels to give customers added peace of mind if something unexpected happens."
| Agoda said there is growing demand for last-minute searches for hotel stay on the day of search as more people are opting for spontaneous trips. gettyimagesbank |
Another leading digital travel agency, Agoda, has also recently unveiled its GoLocal Tonight product across Asia Pacific in response to growing demand for last-minute travel searches for overnight hotel stays on the day of the search.
The product enables travelers looking for spontaneous last-minute travel to benefit from even greater savings when they make a same day booking.
Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand are the top three Asia Pacific markets to embrace the thrill of the impromptu travel experience searching for same-day check-ins, according to Agoda's search data.
These markets are followed by travelers from Vietnam, Hong Kong, Japan, India, the Philippines, Korea and Singapore.
"There's a growing group of travelers choosing last-minute adventures ― couch dwellers who might make spontaneous decisions to either watch a show or book a staycation for the thrill of it," said Enric Casals, the regional director of Agoda. "GoLocal Tonight appeals to this new segment of canny, impulse travelers who are looking out for and are incentivized by low prices to take advantage of same day deals."