Getting vaccines out to Americans may be the fastest way to reignite the travel industry, a new survey from Longwoods International, a market research consultancy, has revealed.
According to its latest tracking study of American travelers conducted alongside Miles Partnership, results show that 70 percent of those surveyed indicated vaccines will impact their travel decisions.
Before vaccines began rolling out, a November study showed that 77 percent said they were changing their travel plans because of COVID-19. Now, as vaccines become more available, that percentage has steadily declined to 68 percent in the most recent survey.
"The arrival of coronavirus vaccines is a game-changer for future travel in the U.S.", said Amir Eylon, president and CEO of Longwoods International. "We expect the pace of the travel industry recovery to be directly linked to speed that vaccinations drive down cases, hospitalizations and deaths from the pandemic."
Americans are also becoming more comfortable traveling outside of their communities. Thirty-nine percent of Americans were comfortable in mid-November. That number rose to 46 percent in mid-January.
Communities are also more willing to open up to visitors. Thirty-two percent of those surveyed supported opening up their communities to visitors in mid-November. That support has increased to 41 percent.
Covid-19 is still the biggest factor impacting travel decisions. Longwood's research found that 46 percent of travelers said that the virus was greatly impacting their decisions. Eighteen percent were greatly impacted by concerns over the economy and 20 percent were greatly impacted by the cost of transportation.
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