Responsible Travel Plans, Are They Possible?

By Rachael Drew-Kinuthia

Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, global tourism had seen almost uninterrupted growth for decades. While the UNWTO (World Tourism Organization) experts are confident to see an uptick in travel activity this year, only a small percent of the surveyed experts expects a full recovery in 2022. Most of the experts on tourism believe that international travel will return to pre-pandemic levels in 2023, while others think it will take even longer than that. The trends for traveling in 2022 seem to show some insights into how people are going to travel. The pandemic has produced a more conscious traveler and has presented a huge opportunity for change.

The pandemic has caused travelers to reflect on how they were traveling before. The data tells us people have become more purposeful and intentional about how and why they are traveling, and where they are going, and that they are recognizing the positive impact travel can have on local communities when decisions are made wisely.

With the increased focus on community and support of locally owned businesses fostered during the pandemic, it makes sense that this mindset carries over into travel plans. Travelers are looking for adventures that support community tourism. For example, trails, parks, outdoor markets, and gardens for touring are a great way for tourists to spread wealth through multiple smaller communities or towns. Planning to participate in open-air activities, buying nature-based products, and rural tourism are among the major travel trends seen. After dealing with the Covid pandemic many Americans have spent less on entertainment and put off previous travel plans, so they’re ready to spend their usual vacation funds in more purposeful ways.

They still want to show caution and are not looking to jump back into their previous lifestyle, but they want to get outside of their homes and local communities saying they were less likely to take a ‘staycation’ in 2022.

As the world shifted to remote working and companies realized office spaces were no longer required, a larger percentage of people found they can ‘work from anywhere’, so this will affect the choices of vacation travel and length of stays. An increasing number of people plan to combine some of their work with travel in the future. Aside from the ‘work from anywhere’ vacationers, many travelers just want to reconnect with family and friends they missed. They want to visit new and familiar places, but they are desperate to disconnect from the online world while on vacation. Perhaps we have learned to give more attention to our overall well-being and mental health now.

Most individuals I surveyed wanted to take time out from their devices and social media. With an overwhelming majority saying travel is important to their family, they are looking to reconnect with nature and optimize travel as a means of revitalization.

They are vaccinated and boosted, so they’re ready to take on some of the relaxing activities they promised their families and friends they’d engage in. Graduations are scheduled to take place as before the pandemic and there are restrictions being lifted on the amount of people in stores and restaurants, but indoors is not where they’re planning to be anyway. Many of the places both told to me and researchers conducting online surveys, range from national parks and trails to beaches and mountain resorts. Taking advantage of open-air markets, botanical gardens, national parks, and coastal activities gives American families an opportunity to move about without crowds indoors.

This is all with the caveat of being vaccinated. Some I spoke with can’t vaccinate due to an adverse or allergic reaction and this means limiting oneself to home or an occasional visit to an outdoor activity without a crowd of tourists around. I fall in this category myself—I was unfortunately hospitalized after vaccination and instructed by the medical team to stay away from the vaccination shots. I’ve enjoyed my time at home as much as possible and mask up when I have to go out somewhere, but as the weather warms, I’m trying to see how to fit in the opportunity to venture out. We could get away from the ‘hustle and bustle’ to clear my mind and have a last family trip before sending one child off to college.

I can understand when others are planning to travel for a chance to relax on a quieter beach, swim, surf, perhaps kayak and so on. The point is, we all can research and plan ways to do things safely or with the least amount of risks. Interestingly, by subregion, the Caribbean saw the best performance in travel during the pandemic as many other places still had their borders closed. According to experts, the travel closer to home, as well as fresh-air activities, made these Caribbean destinations more desirable. Along with those reasons, the availability of nature-based products and rural tourism are among the major travel trends that will continue shaping vacation decisions in 2022.

However, the ongoing tourism recovery is starting in many markets, especially domestic travel for Americans. Coupled with the widespread vaccination rollout and a major coordinated lifting of travel restrictions, it could further help to restore consumer confidence. It may be possible to do more traveling responsibly and accelerate the recovery of tourism in 2022 and 2023.