Despite the pandemic emptying city centres in 2020, the survey reveals that just as many travellers are craving the unique culture and diversity of city holidays (41%) in 2021 as are planning nature and countryside escapes (42%). More people will be looking to travel with partners (16%) and family (14%) than friends (10%), with the majority (67%) saying they will travel by plane.

A fifth of respondents (19%) want to travel to both city and nature destinations this year. This has led Time Out editors worldwide to agree that when travel eventually resumes, there will be a greater pull toward two-part city and nature travel experiences. This ‘fusion trip’ trend will involve travellers exploring city neighbourhoods and their food and drink scenes, while discovering less-crowded culture spots and attractions. Following a few days of city exploration, travellers will venture out to find nearby nature trails, wide-open spaces and other outdoor activities.

Time Out International Editor, James Manning said: “It’s been a hard year for city life and for travel, so it’s incredibly heartening to see our Time Out Travel Survey identifying a huge interest in city breaks for 2021. We believe that cities will bounce back more quickly than anyone expects, given the huge pent-up demand for food, drink, culture and nightlife. Nevertheless, we’re expecting the surge in nature travel to continue too, with many people still preferring outdoor activities. The ‘fusion trip’ combines the best of both worlds: the vibe of the city, with a wave of travellers discovering the new urban phenomena emerging from the global shutdown, plus the relaxation (and built-in social distance) of a nature trip.”

Time Out city experts have identified 15 leading city destinations for a ‘fusion trip’ once international travel reopens, which combine exciting neighbourhoods to explore and things to do with easy access to an incredible nature spot nearby: