By Fernan Angeles
AS soon as the pandemic scare is over, expect an influx of tourists coming into the country after months being confined at home.
With travel restrictions already lifted by then, Jayne Forrester, Director of International Development said data compiled by their web portal Official-esta.com showed the Philippines making it in the list of countries that is being considered to go to.
Taking cue from Google search volumes, the top three “Googled” countries to fly and vacation in are: Italy, the Maldives, and Mexico.
Italy garnered over 1.9 million searches, topping the list of the most in demand vacation spots of 2021. This data comes just months after Italy was the epicenter of COVID-19 in Europe. The Maldives came in at second place with 1.79 million searches, followed by Mexico with 1.72 million searches.
China landed on the 11th spot with 1.07 million searches. It ranks even higher than the Philippines, which is currently at number 15 with 801,000 searches.
The high interest in travel is welcome news for the travel industry, which has been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The global industry has lost billions, and some countries that rely almost entirely on travel, like the Maldives, have been economically devastated by the pandemic. The fact that travel is still on everyone’s mind and in their plans bodes well for the industry post-pandemic.
“It’s crucial that we begin to travel again, in order to generate revenue for the companies within the travel and tourism sector and ensure that we minimize any further job losses in the industry,” said Forrester.
“As a result, we must find a balance between enjoying our travels and doing so in a safe and responsible manner, to prevent any further waves of the COVID-19 virus.”