Tourism Trends during the COVID-19 pandemic: In the summer of 2020 the price of a stay fell by 21%, and last-minute bookings doubled

Mihai-Alexandru Cristea 23/09/2020 | 13:28

Amid the pandemic, the summer season started a month late this year, but the Travelminit.ro platform managed to exceed last year’s booking volume. Holiday vouchers and cards were among the main methods of acquiring holidays that contributed to the resumption of domestic tourism. The tendency of tourists to book holidays with caution was also observed. About 60% of them preferred last-minute holidays this year, booked even less than 48 hours before the start of the holiday, contrary to the trends of previous years when reservations were made early to take advantage of early booking offers.

 

Significant increase in the number of last minute bookings and free cancellations in the summer season 2020

The period July-August was also intended for holidays abroad, while holidays were booked by Romanians and sometimes paid even a year before to benefit from reduced prices. However, the pandemic has changed, among other things, the behavior of tourists, who this year prefer to opt for last-minute domestic holidays. After analyzing the evolution of the virus, tourists weighed the advantages and disadvantages of domestic travel in the context of restrictions.

According to statistics published by the hotel booking platform Travelminit.ro, the number of bookings made 1, 2 or 14 days before check-in doubled in the summer season of 2020, compared to last year. At the same time, 75% of customers chose reservations without advance or free cancellation between July and August 2020, an increase of 10% over the same period last year.

 

The filter with COVID-19 prevention measures is highly appreciated and used by Travelminit customers

The information on coronavirus prevention available on the Travelminit platform weighed heavily on tourists, who chose the COVID-19 filter in their holiday reservations. It includes a comprehensive range of measures, such as disinfectant solution dispenser, disinfectant mats, preventive measures for staff safety, check-in / payment procedure, dining conditions, cleaning procedures with professional disinfectants, wellness service, etc. More than 1,400 properties on the booking platform have added information on how they manage to prevent the virus from spreading to the location. Over 11,300 useful reviews were received on the platform regarding the way in which the prevention measures were observed by the hoteliers.

 

The coast, the Danube Delta and mountain areas, the favorite holiday destinations of Romanians in summer 2020

Still reluctant to travel abroad and confused about the conditions of travel abroad, which changed from day to day, Romanians opted for holidays in the Mioritic lands, in isolated areas or in destinations offering in terms of outdoor activities. Thus, the Danube Delta and mountain areas occupied the first places in the preferences of Romanians, while spa tourism or city breaks in large cities in Romania suffered decreases due to COVID-19 prevention measures and the postponement of events and festivals. Also, the interest of Romanians towards the seaside remains unchanged compared to last year.

 

Agrotourism units and boarding houses where you could pay with vouchers and holiday cards in the top searches

Searches and reservations on Travelminit.ro increased by approximately 50% in the summer season 2020 compared to the same period last year, in August registering 3.1 million visitors on the platform, 55% more than last year. This increase is explained by travel bans and this year many tourists have turned to domestic tourism. At the same time, payment with holiday tickets and cards played an important role in this increase, because Travelminit.ro accepts all types of holiday tickets and cards when booking holidays, and on the platform are listed over 3,100 accommodation units that receive such payment methods.

 

On average, the price of a stay for 2 people in the summer season 2020 decreased by 21% compared to the same period last year

Despite forecasts announcing that we will pay more for the post-pandemic holidays, that the price of accommodation units will increase, and those who manage to survive will want to recover their damages quickly and cover the costs related to COVID-19, the hoteliers present on the Travelminit.ro platform they preferred to adopt long-term beneficial strategies. Thus, the average price of an accommodation package for 2 people, 3 nights, in the summer season of this year was 893 lei, compared to 1,020 lei in 2019, a decrease of approximately 21%. While reservations paid with tickets or holiday card had a decrease of only 6%.

“We draw the line at the end of this ‘different’ season, which took us all out of the comfort zone and we are proud of our partners and the way we managed this unprecedented situation together. The fact that, in a state of emergency, the number of new Travelminit partners has increased by 31%, reaching 5,500 accommodations available on the platform and that, despite the reported decreases nationwide, we have exceeded the volume of bookings last year, shows that we managed to turn this crisis into an opportunity.” Says Ferenc Rigo, founder and CEO of the hotel booking platform Travelminit.ro.

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