by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:26 AM ET, Fri April 9, 2021
A new study found a changing landscape in the travel industry among the mass COVID-19 vaccinations and expansion of digital health passports.
According to a survey from the IBM Institute for Business Value, travelers who have received the coronavirus vaccine are 1.5 times more likely to take an overnight trip in the next six months than unvaccinated people.
As for the ages of the tourists ready to hit the road, those between the ages of 25 and 39 are 62 percent more likely to travel in the first six months following their vaccination than people over 55.
Most travelers planning to vacation again will drive to their destinations once vaccinated (47 percent), while 30 percent say they plan to fly commercially more often and 23 percent say they plan to fly less.
Data suggests the cruise industry will experience the most significant decline, with 26 percent of respondents saying they will use cruise ships less and 17 percent saying they will use them more.
Travel companies will be looking to capitalize on the surge of tourists getting out of their homes by "differentiation through the customer experience, loyalty programs and personalization will be key to attracting consumers," according to PhocusWire.
"Organizations need to craft more tailored, segment-specific messages and solutions - understanding that individual consumers will want different things in different contexts," the IBM report stated. "Seamless, personalized experiences may make the difference in a post-vaccine landscape."
In the United States, the travel sector lost $492 billion in 2020, a 42 percent year-over-year decline. International and business travel fell 76 percent and 70 percent, respectively.
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