First Trips Will Be All About VFR

In its latest tracking study of American travellers, Longwoods International reports that 50% of those travellers are planning to visit family and friends on their first trip in 2021. And the vast majority of them are planning to travel by car.

About a third of American travellers expect their first trip of the year to be a leisure/vacation trip.

Amir Eylon, president and CEO of Longwoods International, explained that: “The desire for travel to be with friends and family remains strong during the pandemic.”

Eylon continued: “No doubt this is being fueled by the pandemic’s negative impact on friends and families gathering since the arrival of COVID-19 last spring and particularly during the holidays.”

As for the timing of those trips in 2021, about 40% of American travellers do not plan to hit the road before there is vaccine distribution. And it should be noted that close to half of travellers currently feel safe travelling outside their home communities.

The survey, supported by Miles Partnership, was fielded Jan. 6, 2021 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.

For more, go to www.longwoods-intl.com .