An international survey, commissioned by the Saudi Tourism Authority, has unveiled that nearly two-thirds of individuals worldwide prioritize traveling to destinations previously visited by their friends and family.
This phenomenon has significantly bolstered tourism in specific locations while leaving other destinations widely unexplored.
The international YouGov survey, published ahead of this year’s World Tourism Day in Riyadh, included over 17,500 people and was carried out in 15 countries across Asia, Africa, America, Europe and the Middle East.
While 66% of tourists believe that traveling to a place that provides familiarity is important, just under half of respondents feel uncomfortable traveling to places they know little about.
However, of those that do travel to new destinations, 83% agree that they come back with a changed or broadened perspective.
The survey also showed that 67% tend to travel to destinations that they have previously visited or have heard about through their network, such as family and friends.
There are some global differences in the findings with 90% of tourists from Middle Eastern countries seeing familiarity with the destination as a key factor in making travel decisions, while British (62%), French (75%), Chinese (68%) and Japanese (74%) tourists feel more comfortable traveling to places that they know less about.
According to YouGov’s survey, the implication for those destinations that have a developing tourism sector with less spending power for international promotional efforts is that they will lack the ability to generate the familiarity which is clearly an important factor for people when choosing where to travel.
The stark findings of this survey not only emphasize tourists’ preference for familiar destinations but also shed light on the need for more sustainable tourism practices worldwide.
“The findings of this international survey give us great insight into the trends and habits of global tourists and how important a sense of familiarity is to them when choosing destinations,” said Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO and a Member of the Board of the Saudi Tourism Authority.
“However, familiarity does not mean that destinations need to compromise their authenticity as the research also supports the notion that visiting new places deepens our appreciation of diverse cultures and fosters mutual understanding,” he added.
Hamidaddin stressed that when people travel, they are agents of good as they export their own cultures and return home with new discoveries, new ideas and new perspectives.
