Facts or Fiction: The new KSA Future of Tourism Survey for UNWTO

THe Future of Tourism Survey
Future Tourism Survey: Travellers Demand Change
Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

A survey on the future of tourism was just concluded by YouGov.

Only 13,839 people were surveyed across 11 countries. It’s not clear how these people were selected. It’s also not clear if people are industry professionals, consumers, income, etc. The survey however was paid for by the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Tourism to be presented at the upcoming meeting of the UNWTO Executive Council in Jeddah on June 7 and 8.

Missing in the survey are many major markets in the Gulf Region, European Union. Not considered were Canada, the Caribbean, South America, Australia, ASEAN members, and all of Africa.

In the markets surveyed only 1000 people age 18 and older were selected, except for Germany and the UK with 2000.

  • China
  • Germany
  • India
  • Japan
  • Mexico
  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Korea
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • UK
  • USA

Global findings across the sample markets surveyed:

  • 44% of respondents called for greater harmonization of health protocols and the use of technology to enable seamless travel
  • 34% wanted to see greater sustainability at the heart of tourism
  • 29% wanted to see health & sustainability prioritized over profits for the travel sector
  • 33% called for greater financial protections for travelers – likely in response to the experience of the pandemic

Compared with before the pandemic:

  • 55% of people are either more likely or very much more likely to travel domestically
  • 32% of people are either more likely or very much more likely to travel internationally

Over the next 6 months those surveyed predict the future of travel:

Leisure

  • 42% of people are either likely or very likely to travel internationally for a holiday, compared with 39% who are either unlikely or very unlikely to do so.

Business

  • Just 18% of respondents are likely or very likely to travel internationally for business, compared with 64% who considered themselves unlikely or very unlikely to travel.

Key market differences

  • China (54%), India (56%), and South Korea (62%) were the markets most in favor of greater harmonization of safety protocols and the use of technology to make travel simpler
  • Japan (45%) and China (32%) were the two markets where respondents were most unlikely to travel domestically
  • The USA (34%), Japan (45%), and China (32%) had the largest proportion of respondents who considered themselves either unlikely or very unlikely to travel internationally in the next 6 months
  • The UK (40%), India (40%), and Saudi Arabia (53%) had the largest proportion of respondents who considered themselves either likely or very likely to travel internationally in the next 6 months
  • Respondents in just 4 markets were optimistic about the prospects for business travel in the next 6 months: India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico.

World Tourism Network indicated this survey is interesting and a good discussion point for UNWTO, but does not even remotely represent a complete picture.

About the author

Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

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