A British Airways’ survey of 2,000 travelling-respondents from 10 countries showed that 41 per cent of Nigerian travellers considered travel as an important thing to achieve this year for relaxation and for other ventures.
The survey said: “Nigerians are less inclined to consider travel an essential objective compared to other nationalities. Even so, 41per cent of Nigerians and 36 per cent of their South African counterparts consider it a priority.”
The British Airways Commercial Manager for Nigeria, Kola Olayinka, said the survey showed that 47 per cent of people regarded travel as an important thing to achieve this year.
Olayinka said: “Indians are the most keen to travel, with 70per cent setting it as an aim this year, followed by Chinese at 61per cent and Emiratis at 58per cent.
“Celebrities do not have much influence when it comes to travel trends, with nearly half the respondents saying the doings of the rich and famous are not a factor in choosing a destination.”
He said South Africans were less impressed than most with 61per cent paying no heed to where the who is who would be spending their holidays.
He added that by contrast, 32 per cent of Nigerians agreed that celebrity affirmation was a major factor in choosing a destination, with 27 per cent others saying it was quite important.
Olayinka said some consensus about cities that feature on their 2017 to-do list were as follows: South Africans citing Paris (34 per cent), London (32 per cent) and New York (29 per cent).
He said for Nigerians, New York topped the list with (37per cent), followed by London (36 per cent) and Paris (33 per cent).
According to Olayinka, 51 per cent of respondents say they will learn a new language to facilitate their travels, although only 38 per cent of South Africans feel this is necessary compared to 63 per cent of Nigerians.
He said the survey showed that only 16 per cent travellers from the UK said they would likely expand their linguistic skills.
Olayinka said amongst the Africans surveyed, French topped the list of languages they would be keen to learn with 73 per cent of Nigerians and 37 per cent of South Africans aspiring to impress Parisian waiters.
He said for both groups, Spanish, German, Italian and Mandarin featured on the top five list.
He said nearly half the respondents, 48 per cent, agree that creating amazing memories was the main reason they look forward to travelling.
He said Nigerians were particularly fond of their travel memories, with 69 per cent of them citing these as a motivation.
He stated that 58 per cent of Nigerians said fond reminiscences was why they travel.
Olayinka said: “Who knew that Nigerians were so sentimental? I will assume that sightseeing or enjoying a family-holiday would have topped the list of reasons why we travel.
“These occasional surveys help us test our assumptions and can provide some helpful insights to customers’ wishes.
“For example, South Africans generally are not interested in celebrity destinations, but it is more of a consideration for Nigerians.”
