by Donald Wood
Last updated: 11:07 AM ET, Thu May 7, 2020
A recent study found that travelers are surprisingly willing to travel in the near future despite the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
According to a Harris Poll breaking down the attitude of Americans toward the viral pandemic right now and moving forward, one of the focuses was to determine how long it will be before travelers feel comfortable hitting the road again.
The airline industry was one of the hardest hit by COVID-19, but 37 percent of respondents said they would travel via airplane within three months of government officials announcing the flattening of the curve. Another 57 percent would fly within the first six months and only 22 percent would wait a full year.
As for the cruise industry, which has been almost completely shut down by the pandemic, 25 percent of Americans surveyed said they would sail on a cruise within three months of being allowed. An astounding 39 percent would return to sailing within six months and 30 percent would wait one year.
"My cruise clients are eager to 'get back in the water' and to the seamless experience of cruising," Travel Edge Luxury Travel Advisor James Ferguson told TravelPulse. "My bookings for September onward are holding firm. Initially, there probably will be a trend to cruise local within North America waters."
Travelers hitting the road again will need a place to stay, and the hotel industry is looking forward to a significant post-coronavirus rebound. The survey revealed that 41 percent of respondents would book a hotel within three months, while 62 percent would wait up to six months and 21 percent would wait a whole year.
When asked how people will view travel once the pandemic is over, 33 percent of Americans said their perspective on hitting the road would be very different, 36 percent said it would change slightly and 31 percent said it wouldn't change at all.
Respondents were also asked about major purchases planned once things return to normal, with 28 percent said they would go on vacation or hit the road in some form or fashion.
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