I can’t believe we’re in the third month of the year. It feels as though we’ve already done so much. I was trying so hard to ease into the New Year! However, this didn’t happen and we started the year with a bang.
It’s such good news to see borders opening and travel requirements starting to ease up again. With all predictions indicating that we should see an uplift in business travel from Quarter 2. Leisure travel, I think, never really went away.
So as always, I want to share articles and news that’s inspired me and got me excited over the last month. Kicking off with:
Working from home and changing the way we travel
This article highlights how travel is changing and how we can expect to see longer lengths of stay, and more trips. Check out also the new buzzword ‘Laptop Luggers’. According to Deloitte ‘Laptop Luggers’ will take two to four trips a year, compared with one to two for ‘disconnectors’, and 75% of them will add extra time to their vacation. Only 6% will extend by several weeks but a large proportion (38%) will add from three to six days.
This can only be a positive for our industry and something we need to capitalise on.
The return to long haul
We’re seeing that travellers are now becoming a lot more comfortable with the new protocols and encouragingly they’re showing a willingness to return to long haul. I must admit, despite the ever-changing protocols for different countries, last year I still undertook 2 trips to New York, 1 to Spain 1 to Ghana plus a Scotland tour, and not forgetting our London staycation!
In fact, I recently returned from Ghana, and to be honest, I’m now so accustomed to what I have to do before I go on a trip and on my return it’s no longer a chore. My thoughts are, if we don’t support our own industry and encourage travel, then who will? Asia is now on my bucket list, I just need to decide where. Travel is definitely returning according to Travel Counsellors. Click here to read where they’ve seen an uptake in travel for January and February. The group have seen bookings of more than £71.2 million in January alone.
Wellness
This is one of the key trends in 2022. Personally I’m still getting to grips with how we incorporate it into our roles, however I was privileged to have a chat with Sahara Rose De Vore, a renowned Wellness Coach and specialist who’s insight was illuminating. Sahara has also published a must-read article (link below) to learn how to sell wellness better. And next month we’ll be arranging a webinar with Sahara so stay tuned!
https://www.travelweekly.com/Articles/How-best-to-sell-wellness-travel
Business travel boom ahead
And finally, I want to leave you with this positive piece of news. 62% of corporate leaders see an increase in corporate business travel from 2021 levels. Alongside this, a huge 88% of finance managers report their company lost revenue over the past year as a direct result of the inability to travel. A strong indicator that business travel needs to increase for business to be successful.
And just as importantly, they’re worried they might not be able to cope with the demand and uptake of business travel. For the full article click here
That’s it for now! But look out for future updates. If you want to make sure you don’t miss out on the next one, follow us.
