The 10 most searched-for international destinations for summer 2021
It’s official: we’re all desperate for a sunny jaunt abroad, but with international travel on standstill we’re not yet certain when this will be.
Earlier this week, Boris Johnson confirmed that when foreign travel does resume, there will be a “traffic light” system for the countries we are allowed to visit, yet he added that it is “too soon” for the government to commit to allowing holidays abroad.
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During a coronavirus briefing on Monday 5 April, Johnson said: "Obviously we are hopeful that we can get going from 17 May, we are hopeful..." but he added that we “are not there yet”.
According to the government’s original roadmap out of lockdown, the earliest foreign holidays are set to resume is 17 May, but this date is subject to change.
“We know that many people are poised and ready to book long-awaited trips as soon as the details on the new traffic light system are made available,” Martin Nolan, consumer rights travel expert at Skyscanner said in a statement following Monday’s briefing.
“Our most recent data shows strong interest in many potential green list countries and we hope to see additional clarity soon to help both travellers and travel providers plan appropriately for the summer and future travel.”
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Recent Skyscanner data has shown that there is an eagerness for foreign travel from UK travellers, with searches using the flight booking platform’s “everywhere” function (which brings up the cheapest locations on your specified dates) up by 75% in March.
It also revealed the destinations we’re searching for most this summer, with Dubai in the UAE taking the top spot, followed by Alicante and Malaga in Spain.
The top 10 most searched-for destinations for summer 2021, according to Skyscanner
Dubai
Alicante
Malaga
“Everywhere”
Paris
Faro
New York
Ibiza
Dalaman
Palma Majorca
Data from Skyscanner also found that 83% of people would be “happy” to carry digital health passes in order to travel while a third of travellers would feel “more confident” booking a flight that had a health pass scheme in place.
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Jon Thorne, consumer traveller expert at Skyscanner said: “Our new data reveals that travellers daydreaming of travelling abroad are willing to adjust their destination preferences and are literally searching for ‘everywhere’ in order to be able to get away, when it’s possible.”
At the briefing on Monday Johnson urged people to wait for the Global Travel Taskforce report, due to be released on 12 April, for more information on foreign travel.
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