Levels of unease from travelers have reached their lowest point since the coronavirus lockdown began, according to research from Skyscanner.
The travel search service has been tracking sentiment and behavior over the past nine weeks and says that while anxiety is still high, it is now reducing.
Figures from Skyscanner show that compared to the highest point of 72%, anxiety has dropped to 58%.
Traveler sentiment data is drawn from a weekly poll of more than 7,000 travelers to gauge sentiment around anxiety and optimism about flying.
Skyscanner’s search data is behavior across web and app platforms, analysed from May 27 to 28.
European and U.S. travelers emerge as most optimistic, according to the survey, with Russia, the Netherlands and Germany showing the lowest levels of anxiety. Travelers from Japan and South Korea have the highest levels.
The percentage of travelers that now view it as safe to travel internationally has doubled, but still only at 12%.
Within the Asia Pacific region, almost a third (30%) believe it is safe to travel domestically.
Skyscanner says that despite the growing confidence, lifting of restrictions and hygiene measures implemented by the industry, search and booking volumes on its platform are still low.
In Germany, 31% of searches are for travel within seven and 30 days whilst in Japan, 19% of searches are for travel within 30 to 60 days.
Unsurprisingly, searches for car hire in the U.S. have been increasing, with searches up 41% month-over-month, boosted by the recent Memorial Day weekend.
Within Northern Europe there is strong interest in traveling within the region, with Italy and Spain the preferred destinations.