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Fewer cancellations and more bookings: travel trends during the second Covid-19 summer

September 14, 2021
  • Cancellations by airlines dropped from 23.7% in 2020 to just 5.3%
  • The booking window has seen a considerable reduction this summer, from 37 days in 2019 to just 20 days

Brno, 14 ​​September 2021 According to Kiwi.com data, bookings for summer 2021 doubled worldwide compared to the previous year.  Although the travel industry is not fully stable yet, the situation is changing for the positive, with a near return to normality for travelers.  In the summer of 2020, almost one-fourth of flights (23.7%) were being canceled, while this summer the number is down to just 5.3%.

Kiwi.com data showed that 37% of travelers are now booking their trips directly on their phone. Travelers are turning to less traditional popular summer destinations such as Istanbul, Kyiv, and Bucharest, however, London and Milan made it to the top five as well. 

Globally the busiest travel week was from 9th to 15th August and around 53% of all summer itineraries included a stopover.  Travelers spent around 4 days at their destination, a figure that is more or less stable since 2019, however when it comes to the costs, the average ticket price this summer was €252.43, which is 28% cheaper than in 2019. 

Following the last-minute travel trend, the booking window has seen a considerable reduction, from 37 days in 2019 and 41 days in 2020 to just 20 days this summer. 

In 2021, the most searched destinations for summer holidays, were Moscow (90millions), Istanbul (66 million), Los Angeles (50 million), Paris (49 million), and Barcelona (48 million). 

Forecast for Autumn 2021

The volume of reservations for the Autumn has increased by 122% compared to the previous year. 

London, Milan, Istanbul, Kyiv, and Rome are, at the moment, the main destinations booked, while in searches we see Istanbul, Moscow, New York, Barcelona, and Las Vegas as the most popular.

– Ends – 

About Kiwi.com

Kiwi.com is a leading travel tech company founded in 2012. Its proprietary algorithm – Virtual Interlining – allows users to build unique itineraries to combine flights and ground transportation from more than 800 carriers. Kiwi.com powers more than 100 million searches every day.

Media Contacts

Kiwi.com
Carol Barnes, Head of Global Communications, Kiwi.com
[email protected]

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