Everyone’s traveling, it seems.
Data shows that people are traveling more often and for longer periods, with many Planning a big bucket list-style trip this year.
But this is not true for all.
Another group of people is quietly emerging from the pandemic with no interest in traveling anymore.
Where ‘Never Travelers’ Are Most
A survey of 16,000 adults in 15 countries by global intelligence company Morning Consult found Asia is home to the highest percentage of people who said they would “never travel again”.
Some 15% of South Korean and 14% of Chinese respondents indicated they would never travel again. “The State of Travel and Hospitality” Report by Morning Consult Published in August.
North America is not far behind, with 14% of American and 11% of Mexican respondents indicating the same.
Still, no country came close to the travel reluctance shown in Japan, where nearly 35% of respondents said they did not intend to travel again.
Lindsay Roeschke, a travel and hospitality analyst at Morning Consult, said the survey asked about “any leisure travel” and did not differentiate between domestic or international travel plans.
Respondents were surveyed twice this year: in April and July, she said. During that time, travel confidence increased among other Japanese respondents, including those who said they expect to travel in the next three months (+7 points) as well as in the next 12 months (+4 points). are planning.
But in both surveys, “the number of people who have never traveled … remained the same in Japan,” Röschke said.
According to the report, despite increasing travel intentions, Japan’s rates lag far behind other countries, including in North Asia.
The survey showed that about 45% of Japanese respondents said they intend to travel in the next year, compared with 65% in China and 66% in South Korea.
In contrast, 77% of German respondents said they plan to travel in the next 12 months.
‘Don’t want to go abroad’
It can be said that the epidemic has reduced the number of Japanese who decide to travel abroad, but I think the weaker yen has had a greater impact.
tetsuya hanada
Managing Director, Tabimori Inc.
About 386,000 Japanese travelers went abroad in August, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization – a far cry from the estimated 2.1 million who traveled abroad in August of 2019.
Hideki Furuya, a professor at Japan’s Toyo University who studies tourist behaviour, said one reason is the culture’s “preference to avoid risk”.
He added that peer pressure will also keep travelers close to home if the risk of contracting Covid-19 is high.
Tetsuya Hanada, managing director of food and travel company Tabimori Inc., said he believes finance is a big factor.
“It could be said that the pandemic has reduced the number of Japanese who decide to travel abroad, but I think the weaker yen has had a greater impact,” he told CNBC Travel.
no place like home
We expect international travel to return to pre-2020 demand very soon.
Hideki Furuya
Professor at Toyo University
Following the rapid growth in international travel during the 1970s and 1980s, The number of Japanese citizens traveling abroad has largely stabilized Since the mid-1990s, according to statistics from the Japan National Tourism Organization.
Roughly the same number of Japanese citizens traveled abroad in 2000 and 2017 – about 18 million – despite one of the incredible increases for worldwide international travel.
“The language barrier and lack of frequent holidays are some of the reasons why domestic travel is preferred,” Furuya said.
Japan’s passport is often cited as one of the strongest in the world, yet in 2019 only one in four Japanese citizens held a passport.
Behroze Mehri | AFP | Getty Images
He also cited the allure of Japan’s nature, history and culture as further encouragement to stay closer to home.
This will put additional pressure on destinations that are popular with Japanese tourists, namely Taiwan, South Korean and airy,
But Hanada said, in time, Japanese citizens will likely be able to travel again.
He said, “The Japanese are easily swayed by the majority, a sentiment that will change in five years.”
Furia said he hopes it won’t take that long.
“After seeing and hearing how active Westerners are, we expect demand for international travel to return soon before 2020,” he added.
others are also staying at home
Beyond Japan, other travelers say they too have lost their luster for travel.
The British artist known as Miles Teck told CNBC Travel that “international travel still seems a little far away” for him.
“In the past, I have loved to travel and most recently at the beginning of this year, I have traveled from London to Singapore and Poland,” he said. But “both of these visits sparked anxiety that has since gotten worse.”
A combination of things put him off traveling, he said, including Covid, travel disruptions and having a medically vulnerable partner.
Singaporean Daniel Chua says he is in no rush to travel for “a mix of reasons”.
But Covid is not one of them, he said.
“I’m not afraid of the virus,” said Daniel Chua, a Singaporean shown here in Edinburgh, Scotland. He told CNBC Travel that because of its impact on the environment, he is reluctant to travel.
He said a work trip to Europe in June exposed him to the “mess” of flight delays and staff shortages. Additionally, he noted that virtual meetings are a more efficient use of work time.
Chua cited sustainability as an antidote to travel, calling it a “core belief in my work and personal life”.
But he acknowledged that he is surrounded by people who are traveling.
“I don’t talk to them about why I don’t travel, not to burst their bubble, or you know, to be a party popper in the midst of all this festivity,” he said. “For me, it’s a personal decision.”
Chua said she believes there are more people who feel like her, but they are traveling because of peer pressure or FOMO — or “fear of missing out.”
Though neither affect him, he said.
He said, ‘I have traveled a lot before. “There’s no particular country in the world I really should be visiting right now.”