New data from American Express Travel indicates that more travelers are interested in working with travel advisors, and they want to spend more than usual on trips in 2021.
American Express Travel found that 59% of poll respondents indicated they want to use a travel agent to help plan and customize their next trip.
The poll was conducted online by Morning Consult from Jan 15 to 24 among 2,000 U.S. travelers and 1,000 travelers in Australia, Canada, India, Japan, Mexico and the U.K. "Travelers" were defined as adults who traveled by air at least once in 2019.
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Travelers are already thinking about booking their future trips, American Express found. In total, 56% are willing to book a trip even if it has to be canceled in the future. Poll data also indicates travelers are ready to spend, with 61% of respondents reporting they will spend more on a 2021 trip because they couldn't travel in 2020.
Working remotely during the pandemic appears to be affecting how people think of future travel. American Express found that in the U.S., just over half (52%) of survey respondents said they are interested in extended trips to new destinations while they work remotely.
That mentality does appear to be more prevalent in some countries abroad, however: American Express Travel booking data shows that card members in Mexico, Canada and the U.K. are twice as likely to book a stay of eight days or more at a hotel than those in the U.S., India, Australia and Japan.
Travelers are also increasingly seeking less-crowded destinations.
Eighty percent of those polled said they are willing to travel to destinations during the offseason to experience it when it's less crowded.
Further, American Express Travel has seen an increase in customers searching for unique getaways and spacious, fully equipped villas.
In total, 69% of poll respondents said they are interested in visiting lesser-known destinations.
American Express Travel data correlates that with a rise in "second-city destinations," like Dallas and Charlotte, N.C. Its advisors are also getting requests for smaller cities internationally, such as Porto, Portugal, instead of Lisbon and Wellington, New Zealand, instead of Auckland.