MORE Filipinos are planning to travel in domestic destinations in the next three months, even as the percentage of those planning foreign travels remain relatively the same.
According to the Finder’s Travel Index, close to 43 percent of Filipinos surveyed in July said they were planning to travel in August, September, and October. This is the highest percentage since February 2021 (39 percent) and almost seven percentage points higher than the survey in June (36.4 percent).
Of those surveyed, Filipinos between 55 and 64 years old — parents or the traditional decision-makers in families — are the ones most likely to be traveling in August, September, and October, with 46.7 percent planning at least one trip.
The company, however, failed to release the number of Filipino respondents in said survey, only saying it was carried out through “convenience sampling.” This means those surveyed were easy to contact, and were willing to be surveyed. It does not represent a national sample. Finder is a personal finance and consumer products comparison web site.
According to the travel index, Filipinos appear to be among the most optimistic among the 12 countries Finder surveyed, as far as travel plans go. They came in second to Singaporeans, 43.9 percent of whom said they would travel in the next three months. Only 27.5 percent of those surveyed in Hong Kong had similar travel plans, while those in the United Kingdom and the United States — which have high Covid-19 vaccination rates — only recorded 26 percent and 25.6 percent, respectively.
Those who were averse to making any travel plans in the next three months were those In New Zealand (17.7 percent of surveyed) and Australia (14.9 percent).
Uncertainties in the long-term
The survey also shows those surveyed are just planning trips in the short term, as uncertainties perhaps remain in terms of travel restrictions. As per the index, 23 percent of the Filipinos surveyed in July said they were planning to travel in August, then just some 6.2 percent planned to do so in September, and 6.7 percent in October.
Filipinos are also prioritizing domestic over international travel, perhaps due to the increasing number of local destinations open for leisure travel. As per Finder’s survey, 30 percent of those surveyed are planning to travel in the next three months — August to October — slightly up from the 24 percent of those surveyed in June who said they would travel domestically in July, August, and September.
In a news statement, Finder’s global editor-at-large, Angus Kidman said, fewer people are planning trips in advance. “Consumers are most interested in traveling in August, which could suggest a hesitancy to book trips further ahead.”
Only 17 percent of those surveyed in July said they had plans to travel internationally, reflecting similar results in June at 16.6 percent, and just two percentage points higher than those surveyed in May.
Kidman added, “28 percent of Filipino adults plan to travel either domestically or internationally in August, while just 9 percent plan to travel in September, and around 12 percent in October.”
He noted, “It’s also interesting to see the number of people with international travel plans remain steady while domestic travel is starting to pick back up. This is likely in part due to the latest restrictions on international travel from countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand.”
Overall, more Filipino males, at 47.74 percent of those surveyed, said they were planning to travel versus women at 42.94 percent.
Image credits: Stella Arnaldo