Over the last year, most people have been swapping passports for puzzles and beaches for binge-watching thanks to the pandemic. Now, a recent survey from IHG Hotels & Resorts reveals how much people are longing for human connection, to be with their loved ones, and to make new memories.

And while the pandemic isn’t over, the roll-out of vaccines is igniting hope and optimism, as respondents across all age groups, 18 to 55-plus, say spending time with family and friends is their primary motivator for travel this year (when it is allowed).

Indeed, close to 60 percent of international survey respondents said they cancelled up to four trips (leisure and business) last year with more than half the travellers saying have now rebooked cancelled trips or plan to rebook them – a majority for the purpose of travelling with, or visiting, family and friends.

Other survey findings include:

• One in five respondents said they plan to make up for the lack of travel in 2020 by going on more trips in 2021.

• One in five people overall said they hope to travel to a place on their bucket list in 2021, with that being true for one in three travellers aged 18 to 24.

• Speaking of younger travellers, this age group was five times more likely to say volunteering for a community in need was a primary motivator for travel.

• One in three surveyed said going to restaurants and trying new foods has the most positive impact on their vacations.

• Over a third of all those surveyed, including 50% of those 55 and older, said they plan to hold off travelling until the COVID-19 vaccine is more widely available.

Business travel

• One in three workers globally stated the lack of business travel in 2020 demotivated them.

• 40% of those who travel for business said they miss face-to-face meetings.

• More than half of respondents said business travel allows them to “create meaningful relationships with colleagues, customers, and/or clients.”

• Nearly 45% shared that business travel improves their working mood and makes them more motivated.

Hotels

• While on vacation, the majority said travelling with loved ones, creating new memories, and having quality time with others had the most positive impact on their mood, while others said it was sightseeing or chasing sunshine.

• When it comes to what respondents travelling for work miss the most, one in three said it was “sleeping in a comfy hotel bed” and one in four said “room service.”

• Cabin fever kills the romance as one in four of respondents age 45+ said they look forward to intimacy while on vacation.

“It’s often said that travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer, and our survey results prove that people are hungry for those rich experiences again,” says IHG Hotels & Resorts chief customer officer, Claire Bennet.