by Donald Wood
Last updated: 9:45 AM ET, Thu November 11, 2021
A new study found that rising traveler confidence levels would result in more Americans hitting the road or taking to the skies for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays in 2021 than last year.
According to a survey from the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), 29 percent of Americans are likely to travel for Thanksgiving and 33 percent expect to travel for Christmas, an increase from 21 percent and 24 percent, respectively, compared to last year.
As for how respondents will get to their destinations, 68 percent of Thanksgiving travelers and 64 percent of Christmas travelers plan to drive, while another 11 percent and 14 percent plan to fly commercial, respectively.
When hitting the road, 68 percent of Thanksgiving travelers and 66 percent of Christmas travelers plan to stay with family or friends, while another 22 percent and 23 percent plan to stay in a hotel, respectively.
"While vaccines have helped travelers feel more comfortable, rising gas prices and continued concerns about the pandemic are making many Americans hesitant to travel during the holidays," AHLA CEO Chip Rogers said.
"Despite a slight expected uptick in holiday travel this year, hotels will continue to face economic fallout from the pandemic, underscoring the need for targeted federal relief, such as the Save Hotel Jobs Act, to support the industry and its workforce until travel fully returns," Rogers continued.
Leisure travelers are making several adjustments to their travel plans based on the current state of the coronavirus pandemic, including only traveling within driving distance (58 percent), taking fewer trips (48 percent) and taking shorter trips (46 percent).
Those who plan to travel over the holidays expect to drive, but rising gas prices may dampen those plans. A total of 52 percent of Americans say they plan to take fewer trips and 53 percent plan to take shorter trips due to rising gas prices.
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