Latest Report from Destination Analysts
Update on American Travel in the Period of Coronavirus—Week of September 7th
September 6, 2020/in Coronavirus /by Destination Analysts
Over one-third of American travelers took a leisure trip in the Summer of COVID-19, with these trips providing a net increase in confidence that travel can be done safely right now. Meanwhile, based on American corporate workers anticipations, a full return to business travel may not be until April or later.
IMPORTANT: These findings are brought to you from our independent research, which is not sponsored, conducted or influenced by any advertising or marketing agency. Every week since March 15th, Destination Analysts has surveyed 1,200+ American travelers about their thoughts, feelings, perceptions and behaviors surrounding travel in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, and explored a variety of topics. The findings presented below represent data collected September 4th-6th.
Key Findings to Know:
- Americans’ near term outlook on the pandemic is largely unchanged from last week, meaning pessimism remains in retreat. Strong concerns for COVID-19’s impact on personal health and financial safety are at or near the lowest levels recorded in the past 26 weeks.
- Perceptions of travel activities’ safety—while still far from ideal—are the best they have been since the onset of the pandemic. Among the most confident they can travel safely right now are younger travelers and those in the South.
- Over half of American travelers remain in a “ready to travel” versus “need more time” mindset and 75% continue to report that they have at least tentative trip plans.
- The proportion comfortable with tourists visiting their own communities is among the highest it has been during the pandemic.
- 13.0% of American travelers reported taking a trip for Labor Day, slightly lower than July Fourth (16.5%).
- Over one-third of American travelers reports they took a leisure trip this past summer, with beaches and rural areas the most popular destinations. Over 80% of these travelers stayed overnight on these leisure trips, largely in friends/relatives homes and hotels, and over two-thirds said they researched the coronavirus-related rules and regulations in their trip destination.
- Overall these summer trips provided a net increase in confidence that travel can be done safely right now.
- 24.2% of American travelers who work for companies in which employees travel for business say that this travel has started again. Of those not yet back to business travel, a quarter anticipate this travel to return in January, but nearly half expect that it will be April or later.
- Looking at how more (safe) travel can be inspired, online content, email, search engine marketing and social media are seemingly particularly effective.
Americans’ near term outlook on the pandemic is largely unchanged from last week, meaning pessimism remains in retreat. This week, 39.3% of American travelers think the pandemic situation will get worse in the United States in the next month (down 16 percentage points from one month ago), 38.1% think it will stay the same, and 22.6% think it will get better. Strong concerns for COVID-19’s impact on personal health and financial safety are at or near the lowest levels recorded in the past 26 weeks.
