According to a report presented at the British event, travelers are looking for companies that can solve the problems posed by the pandemic
Younger people are increasingly turning to travel agencies to book vacations due to the confusion and problems seen during the pandemic, according to the WTM Industry Report.
Their survey of 1,000 consumers found that 22% of those aged 35-44 said they were more likely to use an agent, along with 21% of those aged 22-24 and 20% of those aged 18-21. .
The report also found that tourists are four times more likely to book a package than a sharing economy stay for the next year.
Nearly a third (32%) of those thinking of a vacation abroad in 2022 are more likely to book a vacation package, compared to 8% who will book through a sharing economy site, such as Airbnb.
When consumers were asked where they would like to go, the main access point was Spain, followed by other traditional European favorites such as France, Italy and Greece, and the US, which will reopen to British tourists on November 8. after being off limits since March 2020.
The report also revealed that the majority of the 700 business professionals surveyed for the report expect 2022 sales to equal or exceed 2019 sales.
Additionally, nearly 60% of travel executives believe that sustainability has become the industry's top priority.
John Strickland, an aviation expert at WTM, said low-cost airlines like Ryanair and Wizz Air were seeing better traffic figures like British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, which on long-haul and transatlantic routes were taking longer to recover.
He cited an IATA forecast that said traffic will not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2024.
Furthermore, he does not believe that business travel will rebound in the way that markets for leisure and visiting friends and family have.
However, Tracey Halliwell, director of tourism, conventions and major events at London & Partners, said there is a "strong" portfolio for business tourism and major events in the capital.
"I am eternally optimistic that London will return to its exalted state," he said.
Leisure travel will make up for any shortfall in business tourism because there will be more “bleisure,” causing people to add vacation items to their business trips, Halliwell added.
Harold Goodwin, the tourism expert responsible for WTM, said the aviation sector will need to be regulated, unless it reduces its own carbon footprint, and cautioned.
The other sectors are decarbonized, global aviation will become a higher share of emissions, rising to around 24% by 2050 if current trends continue.