A survey conducted by Global Rescue, the travel risk, crisis management and response company revealed travel confidence is on the rise. As per the survey, people are more confident to travel now, than they were when the pandemic was declared more than a year ago.
Nearly 75% Of Travellers Have Already Taken A Domestic Trip
“Travelers are twice as likely to plan international trips within the next six months as they were in September 2020,” said Dan Richards, CEO of Global Rescue. He further added that nearly three-quarters of surveyed travelers have already taken a domestic trip or are planning to take one before July.
To boost traveller confidence, Richards is encouraging government health officials to further develop capabilities to identify, detect and respond to Covid-19 and other emerging pathogenic threats.
78% of respondents are “much less” or “less” concerned about travel safety in 2021 compared to 2020, with 22% answering they are “more” or “much more” concerned. However, on the other hand, 54% said they would avoid crowded destinations and 22% cited insufficient medical facilities as the leading reason for avoiding specific areas.
The survey also revealed that 91% would submit to fast, on-site COVID-19 testing to check for coronavirus before travel, while 80% said they would pay for the test depending on cost.
When it came to vaccine passport, the survey revealed a divisive finding. 46% were for the use of vaccine certificates for domestic travel, while 42% were against the same. 70% favored the use of vaccine passports for international travel.
Travelers revealed strong preferences to control their own vaccination and testing data rather than entrusting centralized organizations. 45% of respondents want their proof-of-vaccination and COVID-19 testing results to be maintained by the individual, and presented as necessary. Another 16% do not want the data collected at all.
“Government officials must take a leadership role in recommending secure technology standards where users, rather than centralized organizations, store and control data used for vaccine, previous infection and testing verification for COVID-19 and future disease outbreaks,” Richards said.