Photo Credit: Vox

Flight bans and country-wide lockdowns due to COVID-19 have grounded most travel activities around the world including travel reporting. However, a new survey of global travel journalists reveals a positive outlook for travel recovery and a return to travel journalism.

The poll of 300 travel journalists worldwide conducted by Finn Partners, a global public relations firm, shows that 83 pc of media respondents continue to search for international travel content from tourism entities. The pandemic has seen the topic of well-being taking centre stage, with 51 pc looking for health and wellness information. Sustainable travel continues to be a hot topic with 49 pc indicating interest in stories about ecotourism and environmental-friendly designs among other measures.

Pent-up demand for travel has 73 pc of respondents interested in covering destination-centric stories, 60 pc are keen to cover new hotel openings, and 95 pc are ready for press trips once travel bans are lifted. Asia, U.S. and the UK experienced the pandemic in different phases, and the survey results reflect the different regions’ readiness to travel. Journalists from Asia and America are significantly more interested in travel promotions and deals (31 pc and 34 pc, respectively) compared to their UK counterparts (14 pc).

In terms of travel coverage three months from now, Asia-based journalists are looking further afield at international destinations while the western media prefer to stay closer to home and cover domestic and regional destinations.

They also prefer to cover secluded destinations with low population density and that destinations will lead travel recovery to a greater degree than any other industry sector. Luxury travel will experience a revival – it is naturally socially distancing, and affluence buys safety and space. Cruise line collaboration on stricter standards will help restore customer confidence in cruising.

Future travel will be a combination of disconnect and reconnect as people simultaneously seek solace as well as social contact. Sustainability and thoughtful travel will become more important than bucket list travel. Weaving compelling content rather than deals and discounts will be more influential in driving travel choices in the pandemic recovery stage, the survey report states.