Weeks and months spent in their own homes have made millions of people around the world want to “break out” of their four walls for a while, more than ever before. Although the pandemic is still in the upward trend, summer vacations has its rights, and services such as Airbnb are seeing customers return to their services. However, their preferences are clearly changing. As Brian Chesky, co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, admits, there are some clear (and quite logical!) trends:
LONGER THAN SHORTER- because remote work can be done wherever network access is available, the current regime (departure on Friday, return on Sunday) is no longer valid. As a result, many people decide to travel fir longer than ever before. Even trips that last a month or more.
WORK & PRIORITY – the former division into “business and private” trips also ceases to be so clear. What is the name of a trip where you work for eight hours every day to go to the beach or take a walk in the surrounding national park after you switch off your laptop?
CLOSER IS BETTER THAN FARTHER AWAY – most Airbnb trips today are up to 200 miles (about 380 km) away. That’s exactly how far cars can be driven on a single tank of fuel. The obvious consequence of this is also the fact that travelling in own’s own car has become more popular, while international routes by plane have fallen.
BETTER DYI THAN ALL INCLUSIVE – the popularity of accommodation providing adequate “social distancing” is growing. Even if it means living in a house and having to cook your own meals (which is not a problem for us, but for many, e.g. Americans it can be a huge change from everyday life).
BETTER IN THE PARK THAN THE CITY – a “boom” for visiting National Parks? Yes, especially as popular “urban” destinations, which are currently associated with congestion and growing epidemiological threat, have fallen in importance.
Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-07/airbnb-joins-vacation-rental-sites-seeing-surge-in-summer-demand
