Outdoor tourism receives a boost to explore local regions and support staycations

Travel Biz News —-

Some of the latest tourism surveys and figures, in Europe and the US have suggested a healthy increase in the number of travelers keen to holiday at home this year.

According to a recent Euronews poll conducted in Germany, France, Italy and Spain, approximately 60% of German and Spanish respondents said they were not planning to holiday abroad this year, while more than half of those surveyed in Italy and France, had not made any travel plans at all and 33% of all those surveyed were planning to holiday within their own country.

Supporting those results, the latest quarterly report from the European Travel Commission, confirmed that the likelihood of a quick and sustainable recovery would be more prevalent in destinations that attracted mostly domestic and short haul travelers.

The report went on to highlight the issues that longer-haul tourists are now faced with including relatively higher costs of travel and insurance, in-flight and border restrictions, as well as a heightened risk aversion, especially to the prospect of a second wave outbreak and the ensuing quarantine measures.

As part of the exploremyregion.com campaign, over 100 tourism companies and destinations from across Europe, the USA and beyond, joined hands to raise awareness of the tourism offerings within their respective towns and regions in a bid to attract local visitors and offset the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Outdoor activities such as hiking, camping and cycling have become increasingly popular during the current-COVID era and the recent online campaign showcased outdoor activity providers, hotels, restaurants, and retailers,” Hartmut Wimmer, the Founder and CEO of Outdooractive, said.

“Outdoor spaces have more room to accommodate social distancing without too much constraint, which has led to more than 70% of nature camps, hiking trails, adventure sports, national parks and beaches reopening around the world.”

Millions throughout Europe were in lockdown earlier this year and many parents are still working from home, as well as children engaged in distanced learning. For many a lack of exercise, has resulted in weight gain, ironically making them more susceptible to catching the coronavirus.

Source : Outdooractive / Shamal Comm. Sept. 2020