A new Longwoods International tracking study of American travelers reveals that almost two-thirds are planning for no travel before the summer of 2021.
The study also shows that about a quarter of travelers expect to take their first trip of the year during the summer, and another quarter is not sure when they will take their first trip in 2021. Amir Eylon, President and CEO of Longwoods International offered this:
“The arrival of vaccines and inoculation schedules has shaken up travel planning for next year. We expect the situation to be fluid in the coming months, as consumers learn more about when they might be vaccinated and the impact of vaccines on the perceived safety of traveling.”
Longwoods also says about half of the travelers are pausing travel waiting for the arrival and impact of a vaccine(s). This percentage is up from about a third of American travelers in October.
The study goes beyond health and safety factors preventing American travelers from taking a trip. The research shows destination-oriented concerns, with 35% citing travel restrictions as a factor preventing them from taking a trip as well as 21% who are not sure if they are welcome in the destination they are interested in visiting.
The survey, supported by Miles Partnership, was fielded December 16-20, 2020 using a national sample randomly drawn from a consumer panel of 1,000 adults, ages 18 and over. Quotas were used to match Census targets for age, gender, and region to make the survey representative of the U. S. population.