A summary of 2019 v 2020 Travel Statistics...
The travel industry has faced a steep decline this year, being one of the sectors that has been affected the most by the pandemic. Every year millions of people travel abroad to relax, learn and explore but this year that hasn’t happened. Travelling was near impossible at some points, with 217 countries & territories worldwide enforcing travel restrictions and 97 top tourist destinations implemented full or partial border closures.
I personally understand what it’s like to have your 2020 plans ruined, I was due to be visiting Greece, Barcelona and the Netherlands as well as tour managing for many of the SLT Tours groups which didn’t get to travel - all of which got cancelled due to the pandemic. I then spent HOURS on the phone with flight providers and insurance companies trying to get my money back, something I’m sure many others had to experience. It wasn’t just about the money though, I was genuinely so excited to go a way - I thought if I was able to go away even just once it would make the impending lockdown just a little bit easier.
Last year research conducted by the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) found that 88% of the UK went on holiday between July 2018 - July 2019. It was reported that there were 93.1 million visits overseas by UK residents, this was the highest figure to be recorded in years.
The 2020 statistic however was very different. In 2020 between April and June, UK residents made 939,000 visits abroad which is 96% lower than that period in 2019 (Office for National Statistics). I really wonder what travel is going to look like in 2021/2022, I thought the pandemic would be over by now, but when will things go back to how they used to be? When will everything go back to ‘normal’?
The damage that’s been done to the travel and tourism industry will be long standing. That’s why we want to broaden our contact database & speak to groups that may want to travel with us at some point. We simply just want to speak to you about what we could offer your group, no commitment - just a chat about the experience we could offer you.
As a 21 year old student I really do understand what it’s like to feel like your life has been put on pause. Lectures have stopped, opportunities have stopped, the uni life had stopped and I’ve hardly seen my family this year. I have the utmost respect for NHS staff and everything they have done for us in these unprecedented circumstances.
Contact us at info@slttours.co.uk to start the conversation about what we can do for you and follow our instagram page to look at some of the amazing tours we have on offer!
Look after yourself and stay safe.
Jess :)