After a long period of hybernating in isolation and co-existing with fellow human beings at a safe 6-meter distance, it is time to step out again. 2021 marked the first time people across the globe traveled since the devastating COVID-19 pandemic. From road trips to crossing domestic borders- traveling in confidence is slowly rising once again. Even so, a few facets of the world - and in turn, our lives - remain unchanged forever.
What then, do we have to look forward to in 2022? Go through our comprehensive list of the travel trends and stats for 2022 collaborated from various cited sources. Let's find out what traveling in 2022 looks like from afar and prep ourselves for this year of wanderlust (or shall we say, wanderMUST!)
International Travel in 2022
Let's go through collaborated facts about the impact the pandemic had on international travel, along with stats about international travel in 2022.
88% interational travel recovery prediction in 2022
40% plan to rebook cancelled 2020 trips in 2022
52% of travelers are still apprehensive about international travel
1. The loss in international travel due to the pandemic represents an estimate of USD 1.3 trillion in export revenues. This is more than 11 times the loss of the 2009 Global economic crisis. (unwto.org)
2. 40% of travelers intend to rebook a trip they had to cancel due to the pandemic. (booking.com)
3. The bookings created in 1 week in October 2021 were up 30% compared to the same time in July. (nytimes.com)
4. The number of international passengers in 2022 will be 88% of pre-pandemic levels. 2023 predicts a recovery rate of 105%. (schengenvisainfo.com)
5. Asia and the Pacific expect pre-covid level recovery by 2024, Europe by 2023, and the Middle East - most promising of all - expects a full recovery by 2022. (unwto.org)
6. 2021 may have been the year of domestic travel, but 2022 indicates a demand for worldwide travel. The popular bookings made in 2021 for 2022 are for London, Paris, Rome, Tokyo, and Cancún- among others. (nytimes.com)
7. 52% of travelers are still apprehensive about international travel restrictions. (travelperk.com)
Business Travel in 2022
With 2022 looking more hopeful than ever, will employees kiss zoom meetings goodbye and get back on planes? Let's find out what business travel trends in 2022 look like.
Recovery predictions for business travel are 75% of pre-COVID levels
Number of domestic business travel trips will exceed 499.4 million
69% of businessmen feel "zoom fatigued"
8. The number of domestic business trips in the United States has already crossed 462 million. This number will see a steady rise in 2022, predicted to reach 499.4 million. (travelperk.com)
9. Business travel will see a steady growth in 2022. Even though only 12% of flyers are business travelers, they are 2x profitable to airlines as they use frequent flier programs and are loyal. (travelperk.com)
10. The business travel budget for most US companies saw a decline of 90% or more in 2020. (deloitte.com) Since then, the domestic business trip market has picked up at a 47% recovery rate compared to the 2019 numbers. (travelperk.com)
11. The global revenue for business & leisure travel saw a drop of 42% since the pandemic hit. In the last three months, however, leisure trips have increased from 49% to 58%, and business trips have gone up from 11.8% to 14.7%. (statistica.com)
12. Of the employed American travelers who use web conferences regularly, 69% feel "Zoom fatigued" and another 63% agree that it is time to get back to in-person meetings. (destinationanalysts.com)
13. 2022 Q3 predicts a business travel spend of 55-70% (as a share of 2019), and Q4 at 65-80%, according to a study perfomed by Deloitte. (deloitte.com)
14. Business travel recovery predictions for 2022 show 75% of 2018-2019 levels. (bbc.com)
15. 40% of business travelers believe that they would personally meet or exceed pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2022. (pwc.com)
Sustainable Travel in 2022
Perhaps the biggest travel trend for 2022 is "sustainable tourism"- tourism that takes the current and future economic, social and environmental impact of travel into account.
81% travelers will stay in sustainable accommodation
71% wish to lower their carbon footprint
79% wish to switch to greener modes of transportation
16. 83% of travelers believe that the pandemic served as the tipping point for travelers to understand the importance of sustainable traveling. (booking.com)
17. 81% of travelers wish to stay in sustainable accommodation in 2022, an evident increase from 62% in 2016. (booking.com)
18. 87% of travelers wish to travel more sustainably, and 39% of this number already manage to be sustainable on trips. (luggagehero.com)
19. 83% of travelers in a study mentioned that sustainable travel was either somewhat important or very important to them. (thevacationer.com)
20. 71% of adult Americans were willing to pay more to lower their carbon footprint while on vacation. (thevacationer.com)
21. 35% of travelers believe that all electrical appliances (air-conditioners, heaters, etc.) must be controlled by energy-saving senors. Further, 27% of travelers think using reusable plates and cultery would be an effective measure. (avantio.com)
22. 38% of travelers are concerned about wildlife threats, 30% are worried about overtourism, and 29% are scared about high CO₂ emissions. Of the concerned travelers, 46% are also worried about excessive waste generation. (avantio.com)
23. 60% of members thought carbon labelling their trips would be a good idea. Among these members, 50% said they would choose the greener trip option available to them. (which.co.uk)
24. 79% of travelers are willing to switch over to environment-friendly modes of transportation- biking, walking, and the use of public transportation. (booking.com)
25. 32% of travelers cannot deal with the guilt of knowing the negative impact their holiday has on the environment.(luggagehero.com)
26. 41% of people from a study suggested finding a local restaurant that uses only locally-sourced products. (luggagehero.com)
27. 30% of travelers are going to look for eco-friendly certified accommodation in 2022 instead of traditional hotels. (luggagehero.com)
28. 54% of travelers will be more focused on eliminating the use of single-use plastics in 2022. (earth-changers.com)
Wellness Travel in 2022
If there's one thing the pandemic has taught us, it is to prioritize our mental health. How has the wellness sector benefitted from this? What are some of the most recent trends we can expect in 2022?
88% of employers are investing in mental health programs
73% will consider vacations a strict no-work zone
51% of companies will provide a wellness allowance
29. 88% of employers are investing in mental health programs, 69% in meditation programs, and 81% in stress management programs. (wellable.com)
30. Wellness real estate is one of the more "current" trends in the health & wellness industry, estimated to increase to $197.4 billion by 2022. (statistica.com)
31. 70% of Singaporean travelers bridged the connection between traveling and emotional wellbeing only after the pandemic hit. (traveldailymedia.com)
32. 73% of travelers will consider their vacation time as a strict no work zone. (booking.com)
33. 94% of companies will continue investing in virtual wellness services, even after the pandemic dies down. (wellable.com)
Travel Budget for 2022
What does 2022's travel budget look like? Are people planning to spend extravagantly this year, considering big blow-out international trips might be possible?
Average budget on trips in 2022 ranges between $2000-$5000
13% will pay for trips with cryptocurrency
85% will now opt for travel insurance
34. The average holiday budget for 2021 was $1000. In 2022, the holiday budget is estimated to be $2000- $5000. (travelagentcentral.com)
35. 86% of participants in a survey said they'd book a vacation rental for 2022 in 2021 with no reservations. Only 14% cited "maybe". (prnewswire.com)
36. The use of cryptocurrencies to book flights has soared since Jan 2021, from 1-2% to 13%. (globetrender.com)
37. 71% of travelers will be spending more on travel in the coming months, and a quarter of them will be using crypto to pay for it. (cnbc.com)
38. Europe's flight prices for the first quarter of 2022 is down 13%. So, many people are booking flights for 2022 righht now. (kayak.com)
39. 85% of travelers will now opt for travel insurance, compared to pre-covid numbers ranging between 40-45%. (cnbc.com)
How Is Travel in 2022 Shaping Up?
Now that we've seen what international, business, sustainable and wellness travel look like in the future, let's look at how travel in 2022 is shaping up:
65% are happily welcoming back travel inspiration
Duration of planned trips is 2 weeks or longer
57% wish for an all-inclusive travel planning app
40. The percentage of Americans that are happily welcoming travel inspiration went from 58.4% to 65% in just 2 weeks. (destinationanalysts.com)
41. 52.8% of Americans took holiday trips in 2021 and 44.9% have tentative plans to travel in Dec 2021. (destinationanalysts.com)
42. 42% of travelers wish to make up for lost time in 2020 by traveling in 2022- both domestically and internationally. (booking.com)
43. TUI, the largest tour operator of the UK reported a cut of sales in summer 2021 but the bookings for summer 2022 are already up 150%. (theguardian.com)
44. The average length of a trip in 2022 is about 5-7 nights, compared to an average of 3 nights in 2020 and 2021. (prnewswire.com)
45. Skyscanner reported that 33% of travelers booked trips in 2022 for 2 weeks or longer. (skyscanner.net)
46. 57% of Singaporean travelers are booking nightlife-centric accommodations in 2022 with hopes of socializing with the locals. (traveldailymedia.com)
47. Travelers slowly get over their fear of flying, thanks to the increasing safety measures in place on airlines. On a scale of 1-10 (where 1 is the least concerned and 10 is most concerned), 52% rated their fear level 5 and below. (travelperk.com)
48. 84% of American travelers already have trip plans for 2022, while 53% of them plan to travel at least once in the next three months. (destinationanalyst.com)
49. 56% of travelers would not change their travel plans even with the rising level of concern around COVID variants. (travelagentcentral.com)
50. 77.4% of American travelers are vaccinated, and 62.1% of them feel confident to travel because they are vaccinated. As of Nov 2021, 52.6% of the world's population is already vaccinated. (destinationanalysts.com)
51. 57% of travelers wish for a single all-inclusive app for their travel planning and booking needs. (travelperk.com)
52. 5 out of 6 travelers are choosing secluded mountains, rural escapes, and waterfront getaways over popular urban experiences in 2022. (prnewswire.com)
53. 58% of travelers wish to spend more time exploring the outdoors- hiking, biking, and kayaking. (prnewswire.com)
54. 51% of travelers said they'd take one road trip on their own vehicles- 55% of whom wish to drive over 500 miles away from home. (cnbc.com)
55. 60% of travelers would prefer driving over flying (and other modes of transportation) for domestic trips. (fiftygrande.com)
