Coronavirus Travel Research: More than half of Belfast residents intend to travel overseas this year if restrictions are lifted

Short-haul holidays to Lanzarote, Turkey and Krakow top the list

A third of Belfast’s residents are either more determined or have the same attitude to travelling abroad despite COVID-19.  More than half of Belfast based travellers intend to travel this year, once restrictions are lifted, with this rising to almost nine in ten willing to take a trip abroad in 2021.

The Advantage Travel Partnership survey, completed by 469 Belfast based respondents, shows that those living in the city are dreaming of travelling abroad as the impact of COVID-19 has not affected a third of travellers decisions about where to travel to. Short-haul destinations top a Belfast resident’s travel wish list with Lanzarote followed by Turkey, Krakow and Bulgaria being the most popular choices. For Belfast residents looking closer to home Ireland was the preferred choice.

Almost three quarters of Belfast’s citizens plan to book future holidays through a travel agent because ‘they value the support and advice they give’, with less than a fifth planning to look online for the cheapest deal. The research shows that three quarters of travellers living in Belfast plan to spend the same or more on their holiday budget in the next 12 months.

The global pandemic has also given a fifth of Belfast travellers a different perspective on life and are as such drawing up a new travel bucket list.

“The research shows that coronavirus has led Belfast residents to value the human support and advice a travel agent offers. Knowing that you have someone to contact easily is an attractive proposition during a time when the globe is fighting coronavirus. Expertise and knowledge are important when they are dreaming of holiday to Lanzarote, Turkey, Krakow, and Bulgaria. Agents can also provide great guidance and options for a domestic holiday and we encourage those living in the city to speak with their local travel agent to understand more about the packages and travel experiences which can be found here in the UK or abroad,” commented Kelly Cookes, Leisure Director at The Advantage Travel Partnership.

A quarter of Belfast’s citizens plan to visit short-haul destinations for the time being, with more than a fifth likely to travel in the UK once lockdown is lifted.

The Advantage Travel Partnership is the UK’s largest consortium of independent travel agents and business travel management companies and collectively they produce over £4.5bn of travel sales each year. The anonymous UK survey was completed by 4,264 British respondents of which 469 were situated in Belfast, between 19 April and 3 May 2020, with 26 regional airports indicated, including Belfast airport, as respondents preferred aviation hubs.

Sandra Corkin, Managing Director of Oasis Travel, is available for comment on Belfast’s research findings. Oasis Travel is recognised as a multi-award-winning travel agent, employing a professional team in 6 branches, across Northern Ireland in Lisburn, Belfast, Bangor and Holywood, including a specialist cruise retail store.