Americans are taking a wait-and-see approach to Omicron.
MMGY Global conducted a survey focusing on Omicron and travel.
The new data found that 45 percent of respondents who are familiar with the Omicron variant are less likely to travel in the next three months because of related concerns.
MMGY noted that the next couple of weeks will be very revealing based on the survey results because many Americans are waiting for more information on this new variant before they decide whether or not to take a trip.
Forty-three percent said that they would be significantly less likely to travel if scientists determine Omicron is more likely to result in hospitalizations.
Thirty-four percent said that they would be significantly less likely to travel if scientists determine Omicron is more resistant to current vaccines.
Thirty-two percent indicated they would be significantly less likely to travel if scientists determine Omicron is more easily transmitted.
The survey also showed that vaccinated travelers are more cautious than their unvaccinated counterparts.
Thirty-nine percent of vaccinated adults familiar with Omicron say news of the variant has no impact on their likelihood to travel in the next three months. However, 71 percent of unvaccinated travelers said that the news of Omicron would not impact their travel plans.
Clayton Reid, CEO of MMGY Global, shared his perspective on how to interpret the data.
"As we have seen with the Delta variant, traveler mentality can be affected by a perpetuated media and social narrative, but that effect can be fleeting and somewhat unreliable," said Reid. "While we see an expected apprehension among travelers as they first learn of Omicron, we also expect this to be replaced quickly with a bullish sentiment toward 2022 travel."
There is broad support among those surveyed for enhanced testing. Sixty-seven percent of Americans said that they support President Biden's decision to increase testing requirements for inbound international travelers to the United States.
There's also wide support for a vaccine requirement for domestic air travel. Sixty-four percent of Americans believe airlines should require all passengers to be fully vaccinated in order to fly domestically, and 67 percent believe this requirement should be in place for international travelers.
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