07/16/2021
Update 07/16/21: Ohio's Travel Industry and the Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Travel Research Updates
PERCENTAGE OF VACCINATED TRAVELERS CONTINUES TO BUILD; VACCINATIONS STILL PLAY A KEY ROLE IN TRAVELERS' DESTINATION CHOICES
Key findings from Longwoods International fielded July 13, 2021
- The majority of American travelers have some level of vaccination with 57% now fully vaccinated, up from 24% on March 17 and 42% on April 14.
- 6% of travelers have received one of two doses.
- 19% say they have no intention of getting a vaccine, while nine percent intend to be vaccinated soon and another 10% are unsure if they will or not.
- A combined 53% say the rate of vaccinations will have some influence or will strongly influence their destination choices.
OVERNIGHT TRIPS ARE ON THE RISE; AMERICANS FEEL THAT NOW IS A GOOD TIME TO SPEND MONEY ON LEISURE TRAVEL
Key findings from Destination Analysts fielded the week of July 12, 2021
- More than half of American travelers took an overnight trip in the past three months (52.2%, up from 44.6% the week of June 28th). These overnight travelers were overwhelmingly satisfied with their trips, despite some reporting less satisfactory experiences with restaurants not being fully open (22.1%) and travel prices being high (20.5%). Still though, one-in-three of these recent overnight travelers report that their recent travel experiences have made them more enthusiastic to travel (32.2%).
- There is hope for increased vaccinations amongst travelers. Of those who remain unvaccinated, 34.2% say they will get inoculated soon or at some point this year, while 23.8% are open to the vaccine but need more time or information. Unfortunately, 36.7% of this group say they will not take the COVID-19 vaccine.
- Americans feel that now is a good time to spend money on leisure travel. With more than two-thirds (67.9%) of American travelers reporting having been able to save at least some money this month and 42.1% saying their household is “better off” financially compared to one year ago, 44.6% of travelers feel that now is a good time to spend their money on leisure travel—a sentiment that is much more strongly held amongst younger travelers (57.8% for Millennials or younger, 45.7% for Gen X vs. 30.9% for Boomers or older).
- Despite increased savings, travelers are still feeling price conscious. 50.6% of Americans say that travel rewards programs will continue to be important to how they generally plan their leisure travels and 69.8% agree that getting the lowest possible prices while traveling is important to them. Still though, travelers are feeling the sting of increased travel costs, with 59.2% agreeing that travel prices are generally too high right now, particularly hotel rates, gasoline, airline tickets and car rental fees. When asked if high travel prices have kept them from traveling in the past month, 36.9% agree that it has.
- Travelers’ increasing environmental conscientiousness should not be discounted. 52.3% feel that the environmental impact of travel is “important” or “very important” when planning their trips and 38.1% “usually” or “always” make their travel plans specifically thinking about the impact of travel on the environment.
Travel Research Round-Up
View the latest trends and traveler sentiments in this one-page research summary.