As we head into the fall, travelers are slightly more optimistic about traveling in spite of COVID-19.
MMGY Global has been tracking travelers' perceptions during the pandemic through its monthly Travel Safety Barometer.
In August, on a scale of 1-100, the safety of domestic travel earned a 49. This is up from 45 in the previous month.
Confidence in international travel continues to tick up slowly to 32 up from 30 in July.
Category scores, with the exception of cruise, all saw increases in the month of August.
Transportation ticked up to 65 from 64; dining and entertainment rose to 45 from 43; business travel increased to 38 from 35, and lodging settled at 50 from 47. Cruise remained low at 24.
Travelers continue to have the most confidence in transportation, in particular, traveling by car. Driving a personal car scores 78 out of 100 on the barometer. Travelers have more confidence than ever in taking a domestic flight, increasing to 41. Rail scores 37, which is also higher than in previous months.
Lodging also scored higher marks than ever before with a 50 out of 100. Staying in a hotel and staying in a vacation rental were both equal in their perception of safety.
Perception of the safety of business travel has also begun to improve. More people considered attending an off-site business meeting or a conference as safe, too; however, numbers still remain low. More people perceived an off-site business meeting as safe, with a score of 41. Conferences scored 30 out of 100 in August.
When it comes to dining and entertainment, travelers still vastly prefer outdoor activities over those that take place inside. Going to parks and beaches both score more than 50 on the barometer with parks the highest at 61 followed by beaches at 54.
Outdoor sporting events scored a 40 while outdoor concerts and festivals received a 39. Visiting a bar or restaurant scored a 41, and theme parks scored a 32, the same as a theatrical performance or movie. Indoor sports and concerts/festivals were 29 and 27 respectively.
Cruise still struggles in the safety department. Travelers have not yet come en masse to the point where they see cruising as safe. However, cruise scores have remained relatively stable at 24 over the last couple of months.
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