In Wave III of its Travel Intentions Pulse Survey (TIPS), conducted April 17 – 22, MMGY Travel Intelligence and the U.S. Travel Association found that travelers are becoming increasingly optimistic about travel in the next sixth months. After falling to just 31 percent of travelers in Wave II, those who said they are likely to take a vacation in the next six months increased to 38 percent in Wave III, essentially breaking even with Wave II’s response (39 percent). The number is still less than half of Wave I’s response (82 percent).
Some bad news from the latest survey, however, is that more plans are being canceled, rather than postponed. The largest shift, according to MMGY, has been in overall vacation plans, where those saying they’ve now canceled a vacation increased from 58 percent in Wave II to 66 percent in Wave III.
MMGY also notes that, after dropping noticeably in Wave II, travelers’ perceptions of safety across various forms of transportation and travel increased in Wave III. With that said, road trips and travel to destinations close to home will likely drive travel growth as the pandemic fades. The percentage of travelers who agreed that they are more likely to travel by car after COVID-19 (coronavirus) passes increased from 35 percent in Wave II to 47 percent in Wave III; by far, respondents feel the safest in their personal car (67 percent) among transportation and lodging options. And, the percentage who said they are more likely to travel to destinations close to home increased from 36 percent in Wave II to 42 percent. This was especially true for older travelers.
In addition, six in ten respondents (59 percent) say they will be eager to travel for leisure once the COVID-19 emergency has passed, up slightly from 54 percent in Wave II. A slowing in the spread of COVID-19 worldwide and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reducing risk advisory levels continue to be the most important factors affecting decisions to travel in the next six months.
In Wave III, travelers were slightly less concerned about the threat of contracting COVID-19 than they were just two weeks prior. Among all age groups, the concern “for myself” dropped 59 to 56 percent, while the concern “for others in my household” dropped from 68 to 64 percent. Travelers in the 50- to 64-year-old range continue to be the age group least concerned for both.
Source: MMGY Travel Intelligence
