Survey on Changes in Daily Life and Mental Well-being Due to the Spread of COVID-19, and Attitudes Toward Resuming Travel (2020)
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JTB Corporation (Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Hiroyuki Takahashi) and JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co., Ltd. (Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Hajime Nozawa) have jointly compiled the results of the “Survey on Changes in Daily Life and Mental Well-being Due to the Spread of COVID-19, and Attitudes Toward the Resumption of Travel (2020).”
The first cases of COVID-19 were reported in Wuhan, China, in late December 2019 as “viral pneumonia of unknown origin,” and the first case in Japan was reported on January 15, 2020.Subsequently, the infection spread worldwide, and a state of emergency was declared in Japan, leading to unprecedented lifestyle changes, including voluntary restrictions on going out and business operations, as well as travel restrictions.
Based on two surveys conducted by both companies, this report examines changes in public awareness and behavior, as well as travel intentions, from the spread of the virus in February through the declaration of the state of emergency and the prospect of its lifting. It explores, from the perspective of travelers, the current trends in travel recovery and the impact on the future of travel and tourism.
The first cases of COVID-19 were reported in Wuhan, China, in late December 2019 as “viral pneumonia of unknown origin,” and the first case in Japan was reported on January 15, 2020.Subsequently, the infection spread worldwide, and a state of emergency was declared in Japan, leading to unprecedented lifestyle changes, including voluntary restrictions on going out and business operations, as well as travel restrictions.
Based on two surveys conducted by both companies, this report examines changes in public awareness and behavior, as well as travel intentions, from the spread of the virus in February through the declaration of the state of emergency and the prospect of its lifting. It explores, from the perspective of travelers, the current trends in travel recovery and the impact on the future of travel and tourism.
Key Findings
- Although there is strong interest in travel, people are proceeding cautiously when it comes to resuming trips. For domestic travel, they want to go during summer vacation and the long weekend in September; for overseas travel, they want to go in the fall or later.The highest percentages of people who want to "go right away" are for "visiting friends or acquaintances," "places with plenty of nature," "returning to one's hometown," and "travel within one's home prefecture."
- Young people aged 29 and under—both men and women—are the ones most eager to travel domestically. By gender, men are more eager.Women aged 60 and older express an interest in traveling, but a higher proportion of them than in other groups say they “don’t want to go anywhere for a while.”
- When it comes to resuming travel, there is a strong desire to wait until the COVID-19 pandemic itself is resolved. "The development and effectiveness of treatments and vaccines (45.6%)," "The lifting of the state of emergency nationwide (43.8%)," and "A declaration by the WHO that the pandemic has ended (33.9%)."Eighty percent of people want to continue practicing hygiene measures such as wearing masks and using hand sanitizer, as well as avoiding the "three Cs," and these practices are also prioritized while traveling.
- In addition to concerns about infectious diseases, the number of people citing "it looks bad to others" and "there is little information about the destination" as reasons for postponing travel plans has increased.While younger people are more likely to value face-to-face communication, they are also more likely to believe that online alternatives are sufficient for activities such as meetings and shopping. It is therefore important to enhance the value of in-person experiences while embracing digital technology as a given.
- The top response regarding changes in mindset due to stay-at-home requests was “Face-to-face and direct communication are important” (29.8%)"Unlimited streaming and reading of videos, manga, books, and more via monthly subscriptions" has a high retention rate of 75.2%
- Services that were widely used during the period of self-restraint included "monthly subscription services offering unlimited access to videos, manga, books, and more (53.3%)" and "delivery services (38.9%)"
