Booking.com predicts travel trends in 2022

2022 will be the year to make the most of unpredictability and start making up for lost vacation time in a big way, with the number of travellers who feel they need to do so has increased by 52% since last year. Booking.com’s predictions reveal how people will be reigniting the travel spark in the upcoming year.

Whether as an essential part of a self-care regime or to experience 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. This is particularly so with the recent expansion of Singapore’s Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTLs) to 11 countries.

Vitamin vacay

Topping the list is how travelling helps Singaporeans with their mental and emotional wellbeing with 70% of Singaporeans travellers saying they did not realise how important travel was to their wellbeing until border closures began and 86% says that having a vacation planned has a positive impact on their emotional wellbeing.

Resetting the out of (home) office

With the lines between work and life increasingly blurred, 80% of Singaporean travellers would want their upcoming vacation to be strictly work-free. With 70% of people claiming to have worked more hours and using less vacation days during the pandemic, expect to see more people setting their well-deserved out of (home) office messages in 2022.

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.  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 (71%) or seeing a body of water of some kind instantly improve their mood for the better (81%).

Community first

Border closures forced many of us to look to home to quench our travel-thirst and also to support independently owned businesses that rely heavily on tourists. About two-thirds (63%) of people agree it’s important that their trip is beneficial to the local community at their destination and 61% 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.

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 vacations in 2022 will be an opportunity to branch out and make some new connections. In fact, 70% of Singaporean travellers look forward to socializing while on vacation and 57% want to stay somewhere close to plenty of nightlife options so that they can meet new people.

Just say yes

After so long of being told “no”, travellers are reclaiming a more positive way of thinking for 2022. The research shows that over three-quarters (81%) of Singaporean travellers agree they will say yes to any vacation opportunity if budget allows. And for the 57% 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.

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. Because of this, we expect to see even wider adoption of predictive technologies which can help travellers make more informed decisions, especially considering that three in four travellers would be interested in an innovative service that could predict which countries will be safe to travel to (73%), 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 (74%).

Nuno Guerreiro, regional director South Asia Pacific at Booking.com comments: “As we look towards the year ahead, we’re seeing a lot of excitement and anticipation for Singaporeans to return to travel, whether it’s 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.”