20 April 2020: COVID 19 Consumer Sentiment Behaviour

30 April 2020

Decisions on travel destinations will be withheld until the last moment for some.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding international travel, one-third of people hope for a long-stay trip abroad in the next 6 months. Not only a signal of hope, but also of effort and the financial consequences of cancellation. With substitution to Ireland holidays high, overseas travel restrictions are central to domestic performance.

COVID-19 has driven a re-appraisal of what is important in life. A sharper focus has been placed on personal health, wellbeing and safety and also  personal relationships. Future plans for travel are more aspirational, creating memories pivotal. How these elements coalesce or recede will be shaped by the term of the crisis.

The volume of information on COVID-19 is proving difficult as some consciously reduce intake.

The constant feature of the pandemic across all communications channels can be overwhelming. This focuses the public toward Government communication and traditional media as trusted sources of information with social media avoided due to unreliability. The public will be looking to Fáilte Ireland for domestic travel guidance when the time arrives.