Over half of holiday-makers seek human interaction in travel experience

Rooftop pool at L7 Hongdae by Lotte Seoul / Courtesy of Hotel.com

By Lee Hae-rin

As the lingering COVID-19 pandemic limits travel plans and human contact, chances for human interaction have emerged as a crucial factor in choosing a hotel or holiday destination for travelers, a recent survey shows.

According to the survey taken by Hotels.com from Dec. 15 to 23, 2021, on 500 Koreans over the age of 18 who have traveled before or plan to travel after the pandemic, 44 percent of Korean travelers admitted they have experienced a holiday romance while traveling.

Over half of respondents consider “the opportunity to meet new people important when choosing a hotel and/or holiday destination,” while 38 percent aim to meet new people with their travel mate. Twenty-two percent are willing to travel alone to do so, while 9 percent could leave their travel companion to hang out with new people who they met on the trip.

In their booking experiences, 34 percent of respondents said they are “more likely to book a hotel based on the social activities, communal areas and group tours available to boost their social life,” while 35 percent would actively book sightseeing trips or organized group tours to meet new people. One out of three survey participants were even willing to befriend hotel staff.

The prolonged pandemic seems to have changed travelers' priorities as well, as “free Wi-fi” fell out of the top 5 to the top 10 among amenities most searched for. Meanwhile, “pool” and “spa” moved up the ranks to the top 10, showing travelers' need for human interaction over virtual connections.

“The pandemic has been as tough on personal relationships as it has on travel plans. When travelers are ready to travel again, it will be an era of the social butterfly,” said Zoe Chan, Asia head of PR at Hotels.com Asia, Expedia group. “For future travel, holiday-goers are looking more than ever to make connections with others and pick a sociable hotel as their base.”