Official-esta.com has surveyed Brits to uncover how people feel about travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, the vaccines and travel in the future.
Official-esta.com has conducted a survey to reveal how people around the UK feel about the roll out of COVID-19 vaccines and how they think it will impact the travel industry. You can view the full findings here.
Over the last year, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted lives and industries across the world, with the travel and tourism industry one of the worst affected. Since global travel ground to a halt in March 2020, people around the world have been dreaming of their next trip away, with the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines hopefully bringing us closer to reopening travel once more.
But with speculation about possible vaccination passports and no-vaccine-no-travel policies, how do Brits feel about the COVID-19 vaccines and what are our thoughts on how it will impact the travel industry?
Which countries are searching for the COVID-19 vaccine most?
With over half (58%) of those surveyed saying that they think the COVID-19 vaccine will save the travel industry, people around the world are eager to be vaccinated so that our lives can hopefully return to more of a normal state. But which countries around the world are searching for information about the vaccine the most?
The United Kingdom comes out on top as the country that has seen the greatest rise in searches for the term ‘COVID-19 vaccine’ between March 2020 and January 2021, with an 669% rise in interest over this time frame. With the UK aiming to give all adults their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine by September 2021, the country is following an ambitious vaccination schedule. The United States follows in second place with a 525% increase in searches for ‘COVID-19 vaccine’, followed by Ireland and Romania which have both seen a 335% increase in searches for the term.
The top five countries that have seen the biggest rise in searches for the term ‘COVID-19 vaccine’ from March 2020 to January 2021 are:
|
Rank |
Country |
% increase in interest |
|
1 |
United Kingdom |
669 |
|
2 |
United States |
525 |
|
3 |
Ireland |
335 |
|
4 |
Romania |
335 |
|
5 |
United Arab Emirates |
306 |
Which UK cities are the most confused by travel restrictions?
Since the initial disruption to travel, countries around the world have been introducing, amending, relaxing and re-introducing travel restrictions continuously, as they battle to keep control of the virus, but also look to keep the travel and tourism sector afloat. With all of these changing restrictions, it can be hard to keep up and be aware of which countries are part of travel corridors, and which have quarantine periods.
According to our survey, the residents of Cardiff are the most uncertain on where they can and can’t travel, with 48% saying they find the COVID-19 travel restrictions confusing. Liverpool follows closely behind in second place, with 46% of residents confused by the rules, followed by Sheffield in third place (44%). At the other end of the scale, just over a quarter (27%) of Plymouth residents find the restrictions confusing, with Southampton and Edinburgh also near the bottom of the list with only 3 in 10 (30%) people unsure of the rules.
|
Rank |
City |
Percentage of those who find COVID-19 travel restrictions confusing (%) |
|
1 |
Cardiff |
48 |
|
2 |
Liverpool |
46 |
|
3 |
Sheffield |
44 |
|
4 |
London |
41 |
|
5 |
Birmingham |
41 |
Who is most desperate for the vaccine so they can travel?
Over the last year many of us have had holiday plans postponed or cancelled and are very much looking forward to our next trip away. Almost 1 in 5 (19%) UK residents said that they only want the COVID-19 vaccine so they can go on holiday, but those in the younger age groups are holding travel at the forefront of their minds when considering whether to get vaccinated.
In the 16 to 24 and 25 to 34 age groups, the number was significantly higher with a third (33%) of respondents in each of these age groups saying they only want the COVID-19 vaccine so they can go on holiday. Almost half (46%) of 25-34 year olds also said that they would pay to get the vaccine if it meant they could travel sooner. Although travel may not be the primary reason for getting the vaccine for many, over half (62%) of those aged 75 to 84 said that they would have the vaccine if it allowed them to travel again.
However, another 1 in 5 (19%) respondents also said that they did not want to take the COVID-19 vaccine, even if it meant they couldn’t travel again in the future.
How do we think the COVID-19 vaccine will impact travel?
There is much discussion about how COVID-19 and the associated vaccines will impact travel moving forwards – from vaccine passports, to continued mask wearing on aeroplanes and more transparency over health conditions, but what do we think of these possible measures?
Looking at the total UK population, 38.9 million Brits believe that the COVID-19 vaccine should be compulsory for those who are travelling overseas with 29.2 million people saying that there should be a COVID-19 passport for travellers. However, 8.1 million Brits said that they haven’t complied with travel quarantine guidelines following their trips abroad during the last 12 months.
Jayne Forrester, Director of International Development at Official-esta.com comments: “Although we are very much still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is very encouraging to see vaccination programmes rolling out around the world, which will hopefully help us to regain a sense of normality and be able to live our lives, unrestricted, once more. For the travel industry in particular, it is crucial for us to begin travelling again in order to provide countries with much needed income, and to support businesses and jobs in the sector.
“It is great to see that so many people are thinking about travelling as soon as they can, and that the thought of travel is spurring them on to get the vaccination. It is unclear how COVID-19 and the vaccine will impact travel in the long-term, with some current speculation about whether it will be mandatory to have the vaccination prior to any travel or whether vaccination passports will be required. However, the most important thing moving forward is that travel is as safe as possible for all involved, whether that be for visitors or for staff in the industry.”
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
