BUSINESS NEWS Consumer research: BVA BDRC Covid-19 tracker reveals mix of confidence. By Ian Taylor


‘Only one in 10 don’t plan to rebook a holiday’


A Holiday Trends 2020 report by consumer research firm BVA BDRC found 41% of consumers surveyed in March had cancelled or expected to cancel overseas trips. Of these, 14% had cancelled


short breaks and 33% longer holidays – with some having more than one booking. Seven in 10 of those who had


cancelled overseas holidays and eight out of 10 with short breaks said they intended to rebook in whole or in part. Only one in 10 said they would not rebook, with the remainder undecided. Almost two-thirds (63%) were still “seriously considering” a break


Consumer sentiment much more buoyant than business confidence


The latest BVA BDRC Covid-19 Tracker found overall consumer confidence last week to be at its highest since the crisis began, but with business confidence lagging. BVA BDRC reported the


overseas, only eight points down on January. The BVA BDRC report Holiday


Trends 2020 is based on a survey of 1,000 UK adults interviewed in early January and a further 500


interviewed on March 20-23. i The report is available from: holidaytrends2020.com


mood among UK consumers “significantly improved” in the week commencing April 20, with those who believe the worst is still to come “in a minority for the first time” since the lockdown began. Two in five (39%) thought the


worst of the crisis still ahead, down from 60% a week earlier and from 78% in early April. Almost one in five (18%) thought the worst was past, up from 11% a week earlier, with the remainder in between.


However, expectations of when


life may return to normal slipped backwards, with only one in four expecting a return to normality by the end of July, down from one in three a week earlier. Businesses appear much less


optimistic. Fewer than one in 10 (8%) thought the worst past and 65% foresaw worse to come. Three in four (74%) businesses


across all sectors reported being negatively impacted by the crisis and a further 20% expect to be. More than one in four (27%) of business respondents lacked confidence their business would survive. The Covid-19 Tracker includes a panel comprising 1,000-plus businesses.


Desire for overseas travel drops 25%


Consumer confidence in overseas travel is diminishing even as the overall mood appears to be lifting, a weekly tracker of consumer sentiment has found. Research firm BVA BDRC’s


Covid-19 Tracker reported a drop in the proportion of consumers anticipating an overseas holiday in the next six months for a second successive week last week. Four out of five respondents


(79%) said they still plan an overseas holiday, but only one in four (25%) anticipated doing so in the next six months, with 25% expecting to travel in six to 12 months and 29% unsure. Barely one in four (23%) said


they plan to book an overseas trip in the next six months, up from 16% a month ago but down from 30% on April 6-7.


travelweekly.co.uk


Proportion of Brits who expect to travel abroad in the next six months


The rolling survey of 500-plus


consumers is conducted each week. The latest poll of almost 900 UK adults on April 20-22 found a decline in the numbers intending to proceed with existing holiday plans and a rise in those cancelling bookings. Just 15% said they intend to


take a booked holiday, flight or accommodation, down from 19% the previous week, although up from 8% on March 23-24. Of those with travel bookings


more than one-third (36%) had postponed – up from 25% the previous week. One in five (22%) reported cancelled bookings which they intend to rebook and 32% cancellations with no plans to rebook – up from 28% at the start of the lockdown. The tracker found a decrease in


the numbers intending to fly in the next six months. By contrast, the proportion of


respondents thinking about taking a UK holiday increased to 85%, up from 81% on April 14-15 and 78% on March 23-24. Two in five (38%) said they planned a domestic holiday within six months and another 22% within six to 12 months, with 25% unsure of the timing. The tracker is based on a survey


of 500-plus UK adults. 30 APRIL 2020 33


Broadstairs, Kent


PICTURES: Rod Edwards/VisitBritain; Zac Macaulay Photography; Shutterstock; ExM Company


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