The length of time from booking to stay has increased dramatically in the first three months of 2021 compared to the pandemic-hit 2020.
Data from private accommodation specialist Vacasa indicates a shift in the median booking window from 20-30 days in 2020 to 35-40 days in Q1 of this year.
This is also a jump of ten 10 days on the median range in 2019, Vacasa says.
The lengthening is a signal that travelers are becoming more comfortable with making longer term plans as COVID-19 lockdown restrictions ease.
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Vacasa's 2021 Vacation Rental Search Report found that spending habits have changed, with 49% of its customers searching for properties in the $50-$249 per night range between Aptil 2020 and March 2021 (compared to 57% in the previous 12-month period).
There was an increase of six percentage points to 39% for the $250-$499 price range. Searches for higher end properties have remained flat between the two timeframes.
The average length of a stay is now 5% longer than in 2020, Vacasa says, with three nights the most popular option, compared to 21% for two nights, 17% for four nights, 15% for seven nights and 3% for a single night.
Properties with two bedrooms (families, small group of friends, etc.) are being searched for more than any other property type, ahead of 23% for three bedrooms and 15$ for one bedroom.
Still, a trip with two adults is the most popular by some considerable distance, although stays with seven or more adults is the second most popular trip (20%), Vacasa's data indicates.
The U.S.-based company claims traffic levels to the main site have inceased 116% year-over-year and searches on the site are up 235%.