Confidence soars in international travel, providing Covid-19 vaccinations keep up

Hoteliers and accommodation providers are hoping to befit from a year's pent up demand. Photo / Lora Ohanessian, Unsplash

Over half of New Zealanders are hoping to take an international holiday this year a consumer confidence survey has revealed, but only once they've been vaccinated.

The survey, commissioned by accommodation listings website Booking.com, shows that there's still hunger for travel - but most Kiwis say they will put off plans until they are fully vaccinated. 60 per cent of New Zealanders say they are willing to delay travel plans until they are fully vaccinated.

This rises to 71 per cent of New Zealanders aged over 55.

As of last week, just over 71000 doses of vaccine had been administered in New Zealand. Only 19000 people - or less than 1 per cent of the population - have been fully vaccinated, so we could expect a slightly slower rebound in international travel than first anticipated.

Still the travel industry remains optimistic about the near future.

A separate survey of properties listed on the website showed almost two thirds (62 per cent) of hotels and BnBs hoping to benefit from pent-up demand.

"In Aotearoa, we've been incredibly lucky to still enjoy domestic travel intermittently between lockdowns, and it's apparent that our globe-trotting, exploratory appetite and desire to get back into the wider world remains strong," said the company's New Zealand area manager Todd Lacey.

As part of an international survey of over 28000 travellers in 28 countries (including 1000 New Zealanders), Booking.com identified more general trends and shared sentiments.

Travellers want more consistent international standards, faster vaccine roll-out and better access to Covid 19 testing. In New Zealand three quarters of travellers (75 per cent) say that access to pre-travel PCR is not widespread enough.

Adding to the common asks, almost all Kiwis (93 per cent) felt the travel industry still needed support, with one in five (22 per cent) saying they have booked rooms in their hometown to help local, independent accommodation providers.