Do you feel ready to travel again?
A new study finds that the majority of British Columbians feel ready to travel within the next year. However, many people won't feel comfortable doing so before the holiday season.
According to a recent BCAA Travel Confidence Survey by Insights West, 58 per cent of British Columbians feel ready to travel either this year or next. Of them, 41 per cent say the soonest they'll travel is 2022.
The survey also finds that British Columbians aged 55 and older are more likely to have the travel bug. "More than one-in-five (21%) of them are confident about travelling later this year, which BCAA believes could indicate the return of the ‘snowbird’ travellers and reflect their high rate of full vaccination."
Younger travellers, meanwhile, are pressing pause on their travel plans. Twenty-six per cent of 18 to 34-year-olds said the earliest they’ll travel is the second half of 2022.
The lion's share of potential travellers (80%) expressed concerns that pandemic restrictions could throw a wrench in their plans, while 76 per cent worry about being exposed to COVID while away.
"Travel confidence comes from planning and ensuring your safety and the safety of others. It’s encouraging to see people taking their time to think through their travel and factor COVID-19 safety into their plans while also protecting themselves with travel insurance that includes COVID coverage,” said Namita Kearns, BCAA’s Director of Insurance Products. “We’re seeing travel insurance sales increasing significantly month over month as people look to international destinations again.”
Report authors note, however, that a reassuring majority (86%) will "plan and prepare with information like vaccination rates, local case numbers and government restrictions for their chosen destination. And 87 per cent will protect their trip by buying travel insurance for trips outside of Canada."
