With 2020 an almost certain total loss for travel for many Americans, a new survey shows that pent-up wanderlust will make 2021 a banner year.
A recently conducted survey by European-based GetYourGuide shows U.S. respondents plan to travel more-and spend more money on experiences-in 2021 vs. 2019, especially for those ages 45 and older. The top motivators are a desire to see friends and family as well as flexible cancellation policies by the airlines.
GetYourGuide is a booking platform that has booked more than 40 million travelers since 2009. Its survey was independently conducted by Dynata between May 22 and June 3, 2020. The research surveyed adult leisure travelers between the ages of 25 and 64 via an online questionnaire. In total, 7,182 respondents were surveyed across six markets, including more than 1,000 each from Germany, England, France, Italy and Spain, and 2,032 from the United States.
The survey found that U.S. residents plan to take more leisure trips in 2021 than they did in 2019 (an average of 3.58 trips compared to 3.24). While 42 percent of U.S. respondents cited fear of catching COVID-19, nearly all plan to return to travel at some point within the next year. Economic uncertainty is forcing Americans to tighten their belts in general as they reported a net -11 percent decrease in their financial situation since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Significant findings include:
-Two-thirds (67 percent) of U.S. respondents are looking forward to traveling for leisure again in the next 12 months, and over half (57 percent) say they expect their next leisure trip will happen in the next six months.
-U.S. travelers consider walking tours the safest travel activity: 43 percent of respondents rated them "safe" or "very safe," followed closely by outdoor attractions at 42 percent. Activities perceived as least safe are public transportation (considered safe or very safe by just 20 percent of respondents) and theme parks (22 percent).
-When Americans were asked the next three destinations they want to visit, domestic destinations made up nine of the 10 places most frequently named. Comfort with car travel is increasing while comfort with all other types of transportation has decreased. Nearly half (49 percent) of Americans agree they're more likely to drive on vacation in the next 12 months.
-57 percent of U.S. respondents over the age of 45, more than any other age group, plan to take a leisure trip within the next one to six months.
"Even as lockdowns across America and around the world ground leisure travel to a halt, our research showed that the world never stopped dreaming about travel," Emil Martinsek, Chief Marketing Officer at GetYourGuide, said in a statement.
"Now, as travelers take their first cautious steps out into the world, it's clear that the flexibility to change or cancel plans is their top priority. That's why we've revamped our cancellation policy to give travelers one less thing to worry about. With free cancellation and rebooking up to 24 hours before the start of any activity on GetYourGuide, travelers can book with full confidence that they can change their plans. No questions asked."
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