As lockdowns persist, it’s no surprise to see a decline in the number of travelers expecting to get back to travel in the first half of 2021. There’s room for encouragement, though. In total, 83% of travelers surveyed this year by BCD Travel Research & Innovation expect they’ll travel in 2021.
Survey produced by BCD Travel Research & Innovation, April 2021 Source: an online survey of 844 business travelers conducted by BCD Travel between Feb. 17 and 26, 2021BCD’s researchers reached out to 844 travelers between Feb. 17 and 26. The survey revisited traveler views on when they expect to resume regular travel, a question BCD last asked them in December 2020. Of those answering the query, “When do you expect to travel for work again,” 19% expected to be on the road in Q1, a 10 percentage point decline from the December results. Eleven percent hoped to resume travel in the second quarter of this year, compared to 30% last year. Hopes seem to rise as the year progresses: 26% think they’ll travel by Q3, a 3% improvement over the last survey. By the end of 2021, 27% of business travelers believe they’ll once again be booked and busy versus 11% in Q4 2020.
“Travel’s rebound, of course, remains to be seen, and the pace at which it recovers will vary by region,” said Research & Intelligence Director Mike Eggleton. “But we look forward to seeing a rise in the number of actual trips taken as vaccinations increase and lockdown restrictions ease.”
