Four in ten Romanians want to travel after May 15, opting for isolated, risk-free accommodations

Four in ten Romanians are planning to travel after coronavirus lockdown restrictions are lifted on May 15, wanting isolated accommodations and risk-free bookings, according to a study published on Friday by an online booking platform. According to the Travelminit.ro research, almost half of the respondents stated that Romania will be the main holiday destination for this year and, unlike other years in which the price took precedence in making the purchase decision, in 2020 safety and type of property is among main concerns when booking. Thus, 38% of Romanians say they will opt for accommodation in remote areas, and 31% prioritise cleaning and sanitation to book accommodation. On the other hand, among Romanians' travel worries in the near future are: risk of coronavirus contamination (55%), losing the advance payment on accommodation (39.7%), eating out (12%), lack of money, social distancing rules and other restrictive measures to prevent contamination. The findings of the study show that more than half of the respondents have postponed their vacation for a later date, especially the summer or autumn months, while 20% of the respondents kept their reservations active, and 26% of them cancelled reservations. Travelminit.ro says it has offered free of charge customers with April bookings the possibility to select another holiday time and, because of this approach, 78% of the April bookings on the platform were rescheduled. However, over 40% of those surveyed are planning to travel after the restrictions are lifted, and isolated accommodations and risk-free bookings are among their main considerations for setting up a holiday. Almost a third (31%) said they had already planned this year's holiday and had planned the budget. Experts estimate that the total holiday budget will decrease by a few percentage points, with the difference expected to be smaller in the case of accommodation services and more significant in the case of related activities, such as massage, guided tour and others. The online study was conducted on a sample of 2,038 respondents from all over Romania, who filled in a questionnaire between April 29 and May 6, 2020. Travelminit.ro is a leading player on the hotel reservation market in Romania that also accepts holiday vouchers for payment. Its offer provides 4,000 properties in Romania, including hotels, pensions, apartments, guest houses, chalets and campsites in all regions of the country. The platform reported over 620,000 overnight stays in 2019, with a total booking value of 13 million euros. AGERPRES (RO - author: Daniel Badea, editor: Andreea Marinescu; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)