As tourists adapt to a new way of travelling and living with COVID-19, many have opted to explore outdoor holiday activities for the sake of health and social distancing – and safaris are one of the top-five activities so far this year.

An analysis of data and analytics company GlobalData’s Social Media Analytics Platform, which identifies and tracks emerging trends among discussions on Twitter and Reddit, has revealed hiking, camping, cycling, and fishing to also be in the top-five most popular activities undertaken by tourists in the first half of this year.

Safaris accounted for more than 530 discussions, mainly about the way national parks and wildlife sanctuaries around the world are trying to get back on track after months of restrictions due to the pandemic.

There were more than 4 740 discussions across the social media platforms about hiking. “When social distancing became a new normal way of life, Redditors considered hiking [the best] way to avoid the tourist crowd and enjoy nature with hiking adventures and photogenic trails,” explains Smitarani Tripathy, Influencer Analyst at GlobalData.

Camping saw a 30% surge in total discussions (more than 4 020) in the first half of 2021 compared with the same period last year. The conversations on camping were largely about best camping spots, safety tips and trip experiences shared by the community.

The third most popular tourist activity was cycling, with more than 1 940 discussions. Redditors appreciated cycling as a sustainable, healthy, and low-cost mode of travel. They also shared their favourite bike trails with fellow riders to find safe, easy routes, whether a solo rider or in a group.

Finally, fishing was more popular among Twitter influencers compared with Redditors, with more than 730 discussions.