Survey: Every third person planning to travel in six months' time
According to the April survey of the shipping company DFDS, Estonian's are increasingly interested in traveling abroad and every third respondent plans to travel in half a year.
"In today's world, the coronavirus crisis is likely the most important aspect influencing the possibility of traveling as well as people's travel interests and preferences. However, now that more and more people in many countries have been vaccinated and travel restrictions have been reduced, this is likely to make people more optimistic about travel," Merje Vari, Estonian marketing specialist of the shipping company DFDS said.
The results show Estonian's interest in travel has grown every month since the beginning of the year, and one in 10 people already considers it safe to travel. "Perceptions of security also encourage people to make travel plans, and almost 30 percent of Estonians plan to travel in half a year," Vari said.
Those who do not plan to travel abroad in the near future cite travel restrictions or quarantine and the fear of being infected with the coronavirus as the main reasons.
She said the pandemic has also affected the way Estonian people book their trips: compared to the time before the coronavirus crisis, approximately two out of three people plan to book their trips closer to the trip itself and a quarter at the last minute.
There have also been changes in the way people travel. "People plan to use more such modes of transport with a smaller number of people present at the same time," Vari said, adding that compared to the time before the coronavirus crisis, 30 percent of people are more likely to travel abroad by car.
According to the survey, the price sensitivity of Estonian people has not increased much -more than half of the respondents think that their travel budget is not smaller than the budget of the pre-COVID-19 period.
DFDS is a European maritime transport and logistics company operating more than 50 vessels on 35 routes in the Baltic Sea, North Sea and Mediterranean Seas as well as the English Channel. The Estonian branch of DFDS belongs to the DFDS group and serves the Paldiski-Kapellskar route on a daily basis. The survey conducted in April involved 300 Estonians.
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Editor: Roberta Vaino