Czechs stay loyal to Spanish destinations while Americans, French and Brits choose Mexico

Despite continuing lockdowns, travellers are not losing interest in trips abroad.  According to the European Travel Commision, the majority of Europeans (67%) feel safe and relaxed enough to enjoy their holidays thanks to health and safety protocols. This is in line with a Kiwi.com poll* showing that 68% of travellers anticipate being able to travel in the next six months and that the same percentage would get a vaccine once one becomes available to them. Among the top five destinations booked globally in January with Kiwi.com were Istanbul, London, Mexico City, Moscow and Milan, showing that destinations beyond Europe also feature on travellers’ radar.

Istanbul, London and Milan have been trending destinations since the autumn. Mexico City was the most-booked destination globally in January.

“We recorded an unusually high number of bookings to Mexico City,” said Eliška Dočkalová, Director of Customer Experience at Kiwi.com. 

“As Mexico does not require a COVID-19 test or any period of quarantine, it has become a destination of choice for those who want to have a holiday right now. However, we always recommend that travellers check the situation and specific measures at both the layover location, if they are connecting, and their final destination” added Dočkalová, mentioning that transit destinations may have additional requirements regarding COVID-19 restrictions or travel visas.

Kiwi.com data shows that many bookings to Mexico City are from domestic travellers, followed by visitors from the USA, France, Colombia, the UK and Canada.

On the other hand, Czechs who booked their holidays prior to the latest travel restrictions being imposed have opted to stay loyal to known and loved destinations such as Tenerife, Málaga and Las Palmas.  The top ten also includes Barcelona and Madrid. Travellers currently tend to stay longer in their chosen destination than previously (10 days on average, as opposed to 6 days in 2020).

According to an ETC survey, traveller confidence is growing as COVID-19 vaccines are rolled out across Europe, with many seeing vaccination as the light at the end of the tunnel. 

“Based on our data from the poll, almost 68% of people plan to get vaccinated as soon as possible and look forward to being able to travel in the next 6 months. And on top of this, over 60% plan to make the most of this freedom by travelling even more than they did before,” said Eliška Dočkalová.

Although the majority of travellers still prefer making last-minute bookings, 46% of respondents have already planned their next trip.

– Ends –

* Kiwi.com Instagram Poll (details)

Date of poll: 22 January – 23 January 2020, for 24 hours,  700+ respondents

About Kiwi.com

Kiwi.com was founded in 2012 by Oliver Dlouhý and Jozef Képesi. The travel tech company was created for travelers by travelers. Its proprietary algorithm – Virtual Interlining – allows users to combine flights and ground transportation from more than 800 carriers, including many that do not normally cooperate. Kiwi.com powers more than 100 million searches every day and employs 2,000 people worldwide.

Media Contacts

Carol Barnes, Head of Global Communications, Kiwi.com

[email protected]