by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:20 AM ET, Thu June 3, 2021
A recent study of international tourists found a strong pent-up demand to travel overseas now that many COVID-19 related restrictions have been lifted.
According to LuggageToShip, the survey of 400 Americans who regularly travel overseas found 60 percent of respondents said they planned to travel abroad in 2021, while another 21 percent revealed they were still considering their overseas travel plans.
Only 19 percent of the respondents said they planned to avoid international travel in 2021.
"This survey makes it clear that while many Americans may feel that they are done with COVID, the pandemic is not yet done with the rest of the world," LuggageToShip CEO Mike Ulker said. "The pent-up demand to visit new and favorite destinations may continue to face obstacles."
"We have seen a very dramatic increase in volumes of travelers seeking the most efficient and cost-effective way to ship their luggage overseas in recent months," Ulker continued. "But our data shows some hesitation as tourists and business travelers await greater clarity on local entry regulations and quarantine requirements for travelers who can demonstrate proof of vaccination. It may take some time for the rest of the world to catch up to U.S. vaccination rates in this respect."
As for what still has some international travelers concerned, the study found local quarantines and disruption to flights (30 percent), risk of coronavirus infection in the destination country (26 percent) and lack of available flights (18 percent) are questions that must be answered.
When the survey asked participants to rank regions on a scale between one star as "Not Safe" to five stars "Very Safe", Europe and the United Kingdom received an average of four stars, Mexico and Central America received three stars and South America received two stars.
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