1 in 2 Aussies aim to rebook, or have rebooked, cancelled travel

One in two Australians plan to rebook – or have already rebooked – their cancelled travel from last year in 2021, a new survey has found. 

Along with the Australians who said they had done so (51%), one in five (19%) polled in the study said they planned to make up for cancelled 2020 travel by going on even more trips this year. And among younger respondents (aged 18-34), nearly half (47%) of those polled said they would travel more in 2021.  

Commissioned by hotel group IHG, the online study surveyed 2,000 Australian adults from 5-8 January with the intent of uncovering the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on travel and wellbeing. 

According to the study, more than one in two (55%) Australians cancelled up to four trips in 2020 – and these missed breaks are taking their toll on our happiness, with over half (57%) of the Aussie respondents saying holidays positively impacted their physical and mental health. 

Proving the power of time away, nearly a quarter (22%) of Australians said they needed as many as four to six weeks of holidays each year to feel properly refreshed. 

Amazingly, only a small minority (15%) of the Australians that took part in the research said they were going more than three weeks without a break. 

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Thirty percent also realise that holidays are important for their personal relationships, while half (50%) claim that work trips are beneficial to business.   

Before the pandemic, half of those surveyed said they normally went on vacation at least once or twice a year, with a further quarter (27%) holidaying three to four times per year. 

Before resuming travel, two in five (40%) adults said they would wait until a vaccine is easily and widely available, with a quarter (27%) saying a clean and safe environment affected their mood when travelling.        

“As an avid traveller myself, I can only empathise with how important meaningful connection is with family, friends, colleagues and the communities in which we travel,” IHG Hotels & Resorts Australasia and Japan managing director Leanne Harwood said.

“While the COVID pandemic has certainly diversified the ways in which we connect, it’s evident there is a hearty desire for real-life connection and the overall toll it takes on our wellbeing when we’re unable to do so.”