Travellers Are On The Move

According to the latest Longwoods International tracking study of American travellers, 93% of them have trips planned in the next six months — the highest level in three years.

A fifth of them have trips planned within a month, a quarter will travel in one to two months and almost a third have travel planned in three to five months.

Amir Eylon, President and CEO of Longwoods International, said: “Inflation, higher interest rates and other economic headwinds are no match for consumer demand for travel. The outlook for spring break travel and summer travel is very positive.”

The travel planned for the next six months is even more impressive when you consider that a quarter of all travellers report that concerns about their personal financial situation will greatly impact their travel decisions in the next six months. And a third of travelers say that inflation will greatly impact their travel plans in that same time period.

Key findings of the latest tracking study include:

• Spring Break Season looks to be a robust one in terms of volume with one quarter (26%) of American Travellers indicating their next trip is taking place within the next 60 days. (Overall demand is sustained at three-year record levels with 93% indicating plans to travel in the next six months).
• Visiting Friends & Relatives is still at the top of the list for American travellers with 45% indicating their next trip this year will be primarily for that purpose. 37% indicate a domestic leisure trip (without visiting family and friends) is their next trip this year, and 11% indicate an international trip either abroad (8%) or to Canada & Mexico (3%) is up next for them.
• The top three activities planned for American leisure travellers on their next trip are:  Visiting friends & family (47%); Shopping (41%); and exploring a city or visiting a beach (both tied at 38%).  Road trips (36%) and visits to national/state parks (29%) remain very popular as well.
• The economy continues to hold the greatest influence on changing travel plans as six out of ten of travellers (60%) indicate inflation will impact (28%) or greatly impact (32%) their decision to travel in the next six months. 57% indicate the cost of airfare will impact their decision to travel in the next six months, while 51% say gas prices will do the same.
• A record 57% of travellers now say COVID-19 no longer has any influence on their travel plans, but 30% continue to change their travel plans due to the pandemic. The pandemic’s impact on American travellers continues to fade, but it’s not gone yet.

Go to https://longwoods-intl.com/covid-19 for more.