Booking.com reveals top travel predictions for 2022

8th November 2021

Categories: Member News

In its most extensive travel predictions research to date, Booking.com. the digital travel leader reveals a renewed sense of optimism fuelling a hunger to embrace the new normal and get back out to fully experience the world in the year ahead.

Along with practically every aspect of our lives, the course of travel has been redefined repeatedly over the past year and a half, with seismic shifts propelling us towards a continuously evolving version of the ‘new normal.’ A deepening and increasingly complex relationship with technology, a heightened awareness of the human impact on the planet and a renewed inspiration to take a stand on the important social justice movements of our time has made the world feel smaller and at the same time, infinitely vast. And while COVID-19 is not yet in the rearview mirror, an indefatigable sense of hope is beginning to take its place. To explore this rolling wave of optimism, Booking.com has commissioned extensive research with more than 24,000 travellers across 31 countries and territories1, combining it with its proprietary data and insights as a digital travel leader for the past 25 years, to predict how travel will continue to be redefined in the year ahead. 

2022 will be the year to make the most of unpredictability and start making up for lost holiday time in a big way, with over half (55%) of UK travellers feeling like they need to do so. Booking.com’s predictions reveal how Brits will be reigniting the travel spark in the upcoming year. Whether it’s as an essential part of a self-care regime or the thrill of just saying yes to whatever travel opportunities and experiences come their way, it’s all about seizing the day in 2022 and making every trip matter.

The below findings are based on UK respondents. You can find the global report here.

1.     Vitamin Vacay

More so than daily exercise or mindful meditation, getting away on holiday will become THE form of self-care in 2022, with almost three-quarters of Brits (74%) affirming that travel helps their mental and emotional wellbeing more than other forms of rest and relaxation. After more than a year of ever-evolving travel restrictions, the important benefits that travel has on health and wellbeing are now being acknowledged, with two thirds (66%) saying they didn’t realize how important travel was to their well-being until it was no longer an option, and 84% saying that having a holiday planned has a positive impact on their emotional wellbeing. 

What makes travel the ideal form of wellness? For almost one in five Brits (18%), stepping outside of their comfort zone is the key to why getting away enables them to reset. Of that 18%, over two thirds (67%) say that staying somewhere with different scenery from what they are used to helps them to recharge, alongside over half (58%) stating that it’s experiencing a new way of life. For some, it’s trying new cuisines (55%) or hearing a new language (35%) that helps them feel rejuvenated. After more than 18 months of Groundhog Days, a double dose of different is just what the doctor ordered, and will ensure travellers come back from their trips in 2022 feeling better than before.

2.     Resetting the Out Of (Home) Office

When the pandemic hit, homes across the globe became our offices too, and the novelty of working remotely was realized. However, in 2022 we’ll see a significant rise in people wanting to take back control in a bid to firmly re-establish a healthy work-life balance as holiday time itself will be strictly work-free for more than half of British travellers (52%) in 2022, which wasn’t always the case in 2021 with home and remote work lives blurred.

Despite the flexibility to work remotely, 68% of people from the UK would rather spend less time on holiday if it meant they could completely switch off in 2022 vs. spend more time in the destination, but having to mix business and leisure. And with 49% of people claiming to have worked more hours using fewer holiday days during the pandemic, expect to see more people setting their well-deserved out of (home) office messages in 2022.

3.     All the First-Time Feels 

While many of us have forgotten where our passport is or even just how to pack, all that out-of-practice travel awkwardness will give way to a genuine sense of delight for even the most routine aspects of our trips in 2022. Remember what it was like to board a plane for the very first time? Or even just to check into a hotel? After feeling ‘stuck’ for so long, rather than rushing through the journey, travellers will be relishing every moment, from fine-tuning the playlist for the rental car to browsing the delicacies duty-free has to offer, with almost a fifth (17%) most looking forward to the pure excitement and anticipation as the journey begins. 

The formerly mundane daydreaming out the train window as the scenery whizzes by or getting lost in a maze of winding cobblestone streets to pick up the keys for your holiday apartment will be sheer bliss for the almost three-quarters (74%) of people who say travel is more enjoyable when the journey feels like part of the trip itself. Each ‘first’ of our trips in 2022 will be a moment to savour, with a majority of travellers saying that simple pleasures such as feeling the sun on their skin (83%) or seeing a body of water of some kind instantly improves their mood for the better (82%). Even the uncertainty of navigating public transportation in a new city in a foreign language is something nearly half (47%) say they’ll enjoy. After such a long period of limited options, recapturing that first-time feel and leaning in to every single moment will be a hallmark of trips in 2022. 

4.     Community First 

As restrictions caused travel to slow in many parts of the world, the pandemic forced us to make the most of what was on our doorsteps. From supporting independently owned businesses to spending more time than ever at the neighbourhood park, our relationship with the community around us has rekindled.  In 2022, this desire to connect authentically with the local community will continue on holiday too, as we seek to be more mindful about every trip we take and ensure our impact on the places we visit and the people who live there is positive.

Over half (54%) of people agree it’s important that their trip is beneficial to the local community at their destination and 48% would appreciate an app or website that provides recommendations on destinations where an increase in tourism would have a positive impact on the local community. Furthermore, looking at global travellers, 68%3 want the money that they spend when travelling to go back to the local community and 73%3 want to have authentic experiences that are representative of the local culture.

Inspired by the important social justice movements of our time, in 2022 travellers will do more research into how well the place they are staying supports local businesses (35%) or how their tourism spend will affect or improve local communities (21%), signifying a new desire to do right by the people who call our favourite vacay destinations home. 

5.     Swipe Right on New Places and Faces

For many, the pandemic meant spending an extended and intense period with our closest friends and loved ones, but holidays in 2022 will be an opportunity to branch out and make some new connections. As over half (51%) want to meet new people while away, we expect to see travellers using their holidays as an opportunity to expand their usual social circles, with 57% of UK travellers looking forward to socializing while on holiday and 39% wanting to stay somewhere close to plenty of nightlife options so that they can meet new people. 

Tired of swiping through the same faces for the past year and a half, people will also be making use of their favourite dating apps while on vacay in 2022 with travel providing an exciting opportunity to find love. We predict a resurgence of holiday romances, with over a third (36%) hoping for one on their next trip. But the romance doesn’t have to stop when parting ways at the end of the trip thanks to video calls becoming part of our everyday lives, meaning we expect to see more than a few of these holiday romances turn into the real deal.  

6.     Just Say Yes

After so long of being told “no” travellers are reclaiming a more positive way of thinking for 2022. In fact, 74% will be shirking all of the structure they’ve been contending with, preferring a holiday where they stay flexible and just go with the flow vs. having a well-planned itinerary full of activities. The coming year will bring the very best of improv to travel, with us responding to each unexpected twist and turn in the trip with an emphatic “yes, and…”

To that end, nearly two-thirds (62%) agree they will say yes to any holiday opportunity if budget allows. And for the 39% that have been saving their pennies by not taking any big trips since the pandemic started, money is no object for the trips they will take in 2022. More than half (53%) are more open to different types of holiday than before the pandemic and 65% won’t mind where they go on holiday as long as it’s the type of trip they want, they’re just happy to be away from home. In 2022, tech will play a key role in supporting spontaneity with increased optionality to book on the go and the flexibility to adapt plans and follow where the adventure leads. In fact, 40% are looking to the latest travel technology innovations to offer a ‘wildcard’ or surprise option of a completely new travel experience that’s suggested based on their past preferences or budget to help them seize every new potential opportunity. 

Adopting such a positive mentality will open up even more of the world to travellers than ever before, with many taking a more adventurous approach to their holiday choices, and maybe even their companions. When it comes to travel buddies, they’ll be looking for those that “just say yes” as well, with half (50%) of travellers are looking to travel with those who are also happy to go with the flow. 

7.     Embracing the Unpredictable

Uncertainty will continue to be a constant in travel in 2022, and while we cannot change or predict every new surprise and challenge that fate has in store for us, we will embrace it. Having leaned on technology in a variety of ways to stay connected and inspired over the past year and a half, our favourite apps will continue to help us navigate the unknown on our trips, with well over half (56%) agreeing that technology helps alleviate the anxiety around travelling. From AI-powered instant translation services that make it easier for travellers to negotiate last-minute changes of plan directly with accommodation hosts and rental car providers who don’t speak the same language to machine learning models that automatically inform our host about a late arrival to their beach cottage due to a delayed flight, technology will continue to smooth out the unforeseen bumps in the road with increasing finesse and proactivity. Because of this, we expect to see even wider adoption of predictive technologies which can help travellers make more informed decisions, especially considering that two thirds would be interested in an innovative service that could predict which countries will be safe to travel to (60%), even months in advance, or automatically suggest destinations which are easy to travel to now based on their country’s and the destination’s current COVID-19 requirements (60%). 

No matter how accurate any machine learning predictions might be, in order for everyone to truly embrace our new unpredictable normal, the broader travel industry will continue to prioritize flexibility, as travellers rank reassurance that they won’t lose money (46%), the ability to cancel accommodation free of charge (37%) and ability reschedule free of charge (37%) as the top three most important priorities.  

Arjan Dijk, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, at Booking.com comments: “As we look towards the year ahead, we’re seeing a lot of excitement and anticipation for people to return to travel, whether it’s domestically, abroad, the trip of a lifetime or just saying yes to whatever travel opportunity comes their way, and it’s our mission to make it easier for everyone to do just that. We will be there for travellers - offering the widest choice, great value and the easiest experience from anywhere and on any device - so people can reclaim their travel mojo and enjoy all of the unforgettable experiences this world has to offer.”
For a deeper dive into Booking.com’s travel predictions for 2022, visit https://www.booking.com/c/trends/travelpredictions2022.html