Everyone travels, it seems.
The data shows people are traveling more often and for longer periods of time, with many planning big wish-list-style trips this year.
But this is not the reality for all.
Another group of people quietly emerged from the pandemic with little or no interest in traveling again.
Where ‘never travelers’ are highest
A survey of 16,000 adults in 15 countries by global intelligence firm Morning Consult found that Asia is home to the highest percentage of people who say they will “never travel” again. See the article : New Home Kidney Test Using Smartphone to Monitor Kidney Health.
About 15% of South Korean respondents and 14% of Chinese respondents indicated they would never travel again, according to Morning Consult’s “The State of Travel & Hospitality” report published in August.
North America is not far behind, with 14% of American respondents and 11% of Mexican respondents indicating the same.
However, neither country came close to the travel reluctance shown in Japan, where about 35% of respondents said they had no intention of traveling again.
The survey asked about “any kind of recreational travel” and did not differentiate between domestic or international travel plans, said Lindsey Roeschke, travel and hospitality analyst at Morning Consult.
Respondents were surveyed twice this year: in April and July, he said. During that time, travel confidence increased among other Japanese respondents, including those who said they planned to travel in the next three months (+7 points) as well as the next 12 months (+4 points).
But in both surveys, “the number of ‘never traveled’… remained the same in Japan,” Roeschke said.
Even with increased travel intentions, Japan’s fares remain far behind other countries, including in North Asia, according to the report.
About 45% of Japanese respondents said they intend to travel in the next year, compared to 65% in China and 66% in South Korea, the survey showed.
In contrast, 77% of German respondents said they plan to travel within the next 12 months.
‘Don’t want to go overseas’
It’s safe to say that the pandemic has reduced the number of Japanese people deciding to travel abroad, but I think the weaker yen is having a bigger impact. On the same subject : 90% of US adults say mental health is a crisis in America, CNN/KFF poll says.
managing director, Tabimori Inc.
About 386,000 Japanese travelers went overseas in August – a far cry from the estimated 2.1 million who traveled overseas in August 2019, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.
Hideki Furuya, a professor at Japan’s Toyo University who studies tourist behavior, says one reason is “a cultural preference for risk aversion.”
He said peer pressure would also keep travelers closer to home if the risk of contracting Covid-19 was high.
Tetsuya Hanada, managing director of food and travel company Tabimori Inc. said he believes finances are a bigger factor.
“You could say that the pandemic has reduced the number of Japanese people who decide to travel overseas, but I think the weaker yen is having a bigger impact,” he told CNBC Travel.
No place like home
We hope to see a return to pre-2020 demand for international travel sooner rather than later. To see also : On the Occasion of World Humanitarian Day – United States Department of State.
Following a rapid increase in international travel during the 1970s and 1980s, the number of Japanese nationals traveling abroad has largely stagnated since the mid-1990s, according to statistics from the Japan National Tourism Organization.
Roughly the same number of Japanese nationals traveled abroad in 2000 and 2017 — about 18 million — though that time period has been one of the most remarkable growths for international travel around the world.
“Language barrier and lack of consecutive vacations are some of the reasons why domestic travel is preferred,” said Furuya, adding that “a work environment that makes it difficult to take paid holidays” is another factor.
Japanese passports are often cited as one of the strongest in the world, but less than one in four Japanese citizens own one in 2019.
Behrouz Mehri | Af | Getty’s image
He also cites Japan’s natural, historical and cultural appeal as further incentives to stay close to home.
This will put additional pressure on destinations popular with Japanese tourists, namely Taiwan, South Korea and Hawaii.
But said Hanada, as time goes by, Japanese citizens will most likely travel again.
“The Japanese are easily swayed by the majority, a sentiment that will change in five years,” he said.
Furuya said he hoped it wouldn’t take too long.
“After seeing and hearing how active Westerners are, we hope to see a return to pre-2020 demand for international travel sooner rather than later,” he said.
Others are staying home too
Outside of Japan, other travelers say they too have lost interest in travel.
The British artist known as Miles Takes told CNBC Travel that “international travel seems like a long way off” for him.
“I used to love to travel and just earlier this year, I traveled to Singapore and Poland from London,” he said. But “both trips fueled growing anxiety.”
A combination of things kept him from traveling, he said, including Covid, travel disruptions and having a medically vulnerable partner.
Singaporean Daniel Chua said he was in no rush to travel for “a variety of reasons.”
But Covid wasn’t one of them, he said.
“I’m not afraid of the virus,” said Singaporean Daniel Chua, shown here in Edinburgh, Scotland. He told CNBC Travel that he tends not to travel, in part because of the impact on the environment.
A work trip to Europe in June left him with a “mess” of flight delays and staff shortages, he said. In addition, according to him, virtual meetings are more efficient in using working time.
Chua also cites sustainability as a disincentive to travel, calling it a “core belief in my work and personal life”.
But he admits he is surrounded by people on the go.
“I don’t talk to them about why I don’t travel, not to burst their bubble or, you know, be a party wrecker in the middle of all this celebration,” he said. “For me, it’s a personal decision.”
Chua says he believes there are more people who feel like he does, but they travel because of peer pressure or because of FOMO — or “fear of missing out.”
However, nothing affected him, he said.
“I’ve traveled a lot before,” he said. “There’s no particular country in the world that I absolutely have to visit right now.”
