Spain set to bounce back in 2021, search figures show

Statistics from Sojern using more than 350 million profiles suggest holidaymakers have not been deterred from travelling in the long term and are thinking ahead to trips in 2021.

It found UK clients are looking at trips to France in January next year 409% more than last year, and for Spain in the same month 1,626% more.

Spain was the most popular destination for British holidaymakers in 2018 according to a report by Finder, which analysed the latest statistics by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

There is also an upward trend for inbound travel to the UK, with searches from Europe for November this year rising 724% above the year-on-year average.

Sojern believes the spark of consumer confidence could be a result of some airline’s sales and summer programmes being launched early.

However, the research suggests destinations outside Europe will take longer to recover and international flight bookings into Europe remain well-below average for the entire year up to January 2021.

The digital travel marketing solutions company predict after the Covid-19 pandemic is over, domestic travel to the UK will regain popularity first, then regional to Europe, and then international outside the continent.