No longer Instagram: Travel now driven by desire to reconnect after long lockdown, study shows

Most people, Agoda's study shows, are now desiring to travel to make connections or create an impact — and no longer just to have nice Instagram feeds.
Peggy Marco via Pixabay

MANILA, Philippines — Backpacking, solo travels and detailed bucket lists have been most travelers' must-do's in the past. The pandemic, however, drastically changed that.

In less than a year, people have suddenly shifted their travel goals for 2021. Spending quality time with loved ones and making a difference are their key goals.

Social media is a tell-tale signs of all these. Whatever platform one spends the most time in, it is common now to see of posts, pictures and memes where people express their desire to be with their families once it is safe for them to reunite or go out to eat or bond.

As they say, nothing beats being with loved ones especially during stressful times. Twitter's #Travel2021 yields posts of photos people would want to see once restrictions are lifted.

Most people, however, are now desiring to travel to make connections or create an impact — and no longer just to have nice Instagram feeds. That is what digital travel platform Agoda.com recently revealed in its commissioned global survey, What Matters 2021.

The survey revealed that Filipinos are looking forward to spending more quality time with loved ones this year (27%). This was followed by doing things that matter or make a difference (23%) and and being able to travel unhindered (22%).

Forty-two (42%) said that they are likely to commit to a trip with friends and family when traveling in 2021, showing their desire to travel to reunite with loved ones separated by long lockdowns.

While being eco-friendly has been popular for quite some time, the survey revealed that Filipinos put more emphasis on taking care of Mother Nature. Twenty three percent (23%) of Filipino respondents said they will make more eco-friendly travel choices this year.

Conducted with over 16,000 respondents from 13 countries across Asia, Europe and North America, the survey found that one in three people worldwide want to spend more quality time with loved ones. Traveling unhindered (24%) was the second on top, while doing things that matter or make a difference (21%) rounds out the top three responses worldwide.

“2020 was a year of survival and of making the best of it. Despite all that struggle and hardship, our research shows that there’s a global desire for travel, connection, meaning and spending time with friends and family. Travel will resume eventually, because, ultimately, the human desire to travel is unstoppable,” said Tim Hughes, Vice President of Corporate Development, Agoda.

While the National Capital Region is still under general community quarantine and travel and safety protocols are in place as set by the Inter-Agency Task Force, people are still looking forward to having these connections once it is safe and vaccines will be made available to all.

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