by Donald Wood
Last updated: 9:05 AM ET, Mon May 22, 2023
New data showed what American travelers are looking forward
to this summer and the issues that could make hitting the road more strenuous.
According to the U.S. Travel Association’s Quarterly
Business Travel Tracker, inflation concerns are still impacting travel, with overall
prices up nine percent over last summer and five percent from April’s report.
Starting with Memorial Day, when more
than 40 million Americans are expected to travel, 26 percent plan to
increase the amount they are spending on leisure travel in the next three
months, a 19 percent increase from the first quarter.
In total, 81 percent of U.S. travelers have a road trip
planned over the next six months, with families with children being more likely
to travel for a summer vacation (74 percent) than non-parents (48 percent).
As for business travel, over 80 percent of business
travelers have plans to travel for work in the next six months, with most respondents
expecting to hit the road more often.
Money continues to be an issue for Americans, as travelers citing
personal financial reasons as a reason for not having leisure plans dropped to
37 percent in the second quarter, a sharp decline from the 51 percent reported in
the first quarter.
With rising concerns about flight delays and cancellations, 52
percent said they would travel more for leisure in the next six months if the experience
was not as much of a hassle, a massive increase from the 29 percent who said
the same to start 2023.
Increased flight availability, direct flight options, travel
discounts and loyalty programs are the top factors that encourage leisure and
business travelers to take to the skies over the next six months.
Americans view travel as a positive economic contributor,
with 68 percent of respondents agreeing that travel is important to local
businesses and jobs in their community. Another 62 percent said taxes paid by
travelers are essential to fund public services, such as firefighters, police
and teachers.
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