Survey Finds Travelers Targeting Destinations Closer to Home

Just over one-third of Americans (36 percent) expect to take a domestic leisure trip in the next six months, according to the latest wave of findings from the Travel Intentions Pulse Survey (TIPS) conducted by MMGY Travel Intelligence.

Commissioned by the U.S. Travel Association in an effort to measure the impact of COVID-19 on U.S. leisure and business travelers, TIPS' Wave IV results also show that a majority of U.S. travelers have their sights set on staying local for the remainder of 2020, with 57 percent indicating that they are more likely to book travel to U.S. destinations when the pandemic subsides and 43 percent intending to travel to destinations closer to home.

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Roughly one-third of travelers (32 percent) said that they are willing to drive 300 miles or more one-way to reach their vacation destinations over the next six months. However, fewer than one-fifth of that group (19 percent) are willing to drive 500 miles or more.

Encouragingly, the study also found that approximately one-third of travelers remain committed to postponing upcoming travel rather than canceling their plans outright. Trips with the longest booking windows, including vacation rentals and cruises, are the most likely to be delayed rather than canceled, the survey shows.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, travelers still feel safest when traveling by personal vehicle (68 percent) and visiting outdoor places such as parks (34 percent) and beaches (26 percent).

While the likelihood to travel and stay in a hotel increases with travelers' age, the Wave IV survey found that younger travelers are more likely to attend a concert or sporting event on a trip over the course of the next six months.

MMGY Travel Intelligence began conducting the biweekly TIPS of 1,200 U.S. residents who have taken an overnight trip for either business or leisure in the past 12 months in late-March. Wave IV of the survey was conducted during the first week of May.