New Data Shows Americans Ready to Travel Again, But Key Hesitations Still Abound
San Francisco-based Destination Analysts is tracking American travel sentiment weekly, as the travel industry
continues to grapple with COVID-19 fallout and to look for clues to normalcy's return.
During a web event hosted by Visit Santa Barbara, results from their 4th week of analysis, based on a survey of 1216 travelers fielded April 3 through 5, were released. There is light at the end of the tunnel, I'd say, including the fact that -- even amidst the daily tally of coronavirus-related hospitalizations and deaths -- 41% have at least tentative plans to travel in July and/or August.
Most promising to me is the fact that pent-up demand has not waned: 69% of US travelers say they miss traveling and are anxious to hit the road again, a number that's up from the previous week.
For major sectors of the industry, though, the new numbers show that safety and health concerns have made hesitation soar, at least in the short term. For example, more than 86% of travelers feel unsafe about cruising; 85% feel unsafe about international travel, 81% are concerned about flying, between 75% and 77% are second-guessing going to amusements parks and restaurants and close to 70% are not sure about the safety of staying at a hotel.
People are feeling much more comfortable with road trips and non-team outdoors activities, like hiking and biking, which suggests to me that, when travel begins to come back online, it'll be the local, regional, shorter, drive market trips that will rebound first. This present opportunity for small-market destinations groups to lure travelers champing at the bit to get out of the house.
Coronavirus fallout has impacted the travel plans of almost 73% of Americans, a number that's doubled since mid-March. More than 65% have canceled upcoming travel (an average of 1.9 trips) and close to 49% have postponed (an average of 1.7 trips).
When will "normal" travel activity return? I've been pointing to June as a likely marker for a gradual turnaround, with summer offering a travel deals bonanza and fall becoming the "new summer" for many American travelers. This latest survey does, in fact, show that trip cancelations surge for the month of April but then retreat quickly, with cancel numbers down to the single digits for August and beyond -- an optimistic target for the travel industry.
Destination Analysts is planning weekly waves of surveys through early May, and we'll highlight numbers here, so be sure to check back. For ongoing info, be sure to follow me on Twitter.
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During a web event hosted by Visit Santa Barbara, results from their 4th week of analysis, based on a survey of 1216 travelers fielded April 3 through 5, were released. There is light at the end of the tunnel, I'd say, including the fact that -- even amidst the daily tally of coronavirus-related hospitalizations and deaths -- 41% have at least tentative plans to travel in July and/or August.
Most promising to me is the fact that pent-up demand has not waned: 69% of US travelers say they miss traveling and are anxious to hit the road again, a number that's up from the previous week.
For major sectors of the industry, though, the new numbers show that safety and health concerns have made hesitation soar, at least in the short term. For example, more than 86% of travelers feel unsafe about cruising; 85% feel unsafe about international travel, 81% are concerned about flying, between 75% and 77% are second-guessing going to amusements parks and restaurants and close to 70% are not sure about the safety of staying at a hotel.
People are feeling much more comfortable with road trips and non-team outdoors activities, like hiking and biking, which suggests to me that, when travel begins to come back online, it'll be the local, regional, shorter, drive market trips that will rebound first. This present opportunity for small-market destinations groups to lure travelers champing at the bit to get out of the house.
Coronavirus fallout has impacted the travel plans of almost 73% of Americans, a number that's doubled since mid-March. More than 65% have canceled upcoming travel (an average of 1.9 trips) and close to 49% have postponed (an average of 1.7 trips).
When will "normal" travel activity return? I've been pointing to June as a likely marker for a gradual turnaround, with summer offering a travel deals bonanza and fall becoming the "new summer" for many American travelers. This latest survey does, in fact, show that trip cancelations surge for the month of April but then retreat quickly, with cancel numbers down to the single digits for August and beyond -- an optimistic target for the travel industry.
Destination Analysts is planning weekly waves of surveys through early May, and we'll highlight numbers here, so be sure to check back. For ongoing info, be sure to follow me on Twitter.
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