Popular destinations for the (Easter) vacation 2021
The corona numbers are decreasing worldwide and the countries are loosening their lockdown measures again. But air traffic will also be restricted this year and will determine the Easter business above all. Since Switzerland made it mandatory to carry out PCR tests on entry and return journeys, the number of inquiries from travel companies has decreased even further. Now it is possible to go abroad and especially Tanzania, the Maldives and Egypt are heavily booked areas.
The Dominican Republic and Mexico are also at the top of the list of popular holiday destinations for 2021. In addition to the Swiss mountains, which will probably again be the travel destination for many Swiss this year. Individual holidays in a holiday home in Switzerland seem to be the current trend, because here the guests spend their vacation almost without any physical contact with other people. Especially if self-catering is also required.
Would you rather book at short notice?
Because of the constantly changing location, travelers now tend to make short-term decisions. This gives them the chance to react to a changing situation at any time and can really start the holiday trip. With a long-term booking, there is a risk that a cancellation will be necessary because the corona situation has suddenly changed. At Easter, the travel companies are therefore mainly counting on short-haul vacation trips that are booked and confirmed shortly before the start. Mallorca, Greece, the Canary Islands and Cyprus will become popular travel destinations. As long-haul destinations, Thailand, Canada and the USA come into question, as has already been the case in recent years. Basically, however, there is a trend towards flights within Europe, the demand for intercontinental flights has so far been rather poor. In summer, the Mediterranean and Eastern Europe in particular could be the most popular travel destinations. In addition, city trips will probably come into question more often, London or Berlin are already the winners in the race for the most popular city as a travel destination.
Difficulties for hotel operations
The hotels as well as the entire gastronomy now lack planning security, because a trip that is booked at short notice can hardly be planned and there is always the risk that the guests will be absent. Tour operators are also skeptical about the future, because they cannot rely on the bookings that will fail if the pandemic flares up again. It is assumed that it will not be Rhodes and Crete that will be booked this year. Perhaps you prefer Paros and Corfu as more individual destinations? Large hotel complexes will also be the losers of the crisis, because in all likelihood vacationers will be more likely to rely on smaller hotels and holiday homes.
Conclusion: the difficult travel year 2021
Things are not looking good for tour operators, hotels and the hospitality industry in general in 2021 either. The reason is still the corona pandemic, which means that vacations are no longer necessary and many people are more likely to stay in Germany than to travel abroad. Long-haul flights are likely to be avoided, people tend to stay within Europe or rely on the Swiss mountains as a proven holiday destination. The uncertain travel situation is still causing reluctance and will above all lead to short-term bookings.
