Trapped at home for the past several weeks with no visible end in sight, Americans are becoming increasingly eager to escape their ordinary lives, according to data collected in a new survey from Overseas Leisure Group.
A luxury travel operator with a presence in 34 countries, Overseas Leisure Group conducted its nationwide survey of 2,000 travel enthusiasts living in the U.S. between April 20 and 22, 2020, which has yielded some encouraging results for the ailing tourism sector.
All that pent-up desire to get out of the house, and experience something new and different may yet overcome Americans' COVID-19-centered worries about resuming travel once we're given the "all-clear".
Perhaps the biggest takeaway was that a surprising 72 percent of Americans indicated they're already making plans to go on their next vacation, with 35 percent of those would-be travelers open to taking a trip as early as this summer. Nearly 29 percent just weren't sure when they would next consider traveling, given the pandemic's unpredictability. Eighteen percent said they'd willingly go this autumn and thirteen percent said they'd be waiting until next year.
"Dreams of resuming our adventures are increasingly front-of-mind. We are seeing a higher-than-usual interest in more secluded staycations, away from the crowds, and domestic destinations where regulations are less likely to be an obstacle," observed Felix Brambilla, CEO of Overseas Leisure Group.
Other notable survey results include:
-83 percent of respondents see the travel market as being "on pause", as opposed to permanently transformed by the current crisis.
-42 percent of people would readily book a reservation now if the proposition were risk-free (i.e., no deposit and no cancellation fees).
-45 percent of those surveyed said that their travels would take them outside of the U.S.
-Neighboring North American nations would be the most popular choice (42 percent), followed by Europe (35 percent).
-78 percent of would-be travelers said they'd choose air travel when taking their next vacation.
-26 percent of prospective vacationers preferred 'trendy beach resorts' for their next trip, 21 percent said they'd go on a road trip, 18 percent desire a small-island destination.
Approximately 54 percent of the respondent were between the ages of 30 and 50, just over 32 percent was over the age of 50 and thirteen-plus percent were under 30 years old.
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