Travel Planning Is Surging

There's cause for optimism these days and it's not simply because the weather is getting nicer by the day. The latest Longwoods International tracking study of American travelers is out now, and there's good news to share: 81% of travelers plan to travel in the next six months, an increase of 16 percentage points since mid-January and the highest level since the beginning of the pandemic last March.

With optimism on the rise, the study found that nearly half (49%) of American travelers feel safe traveling outside of their communities, which is back near levels seen late last summer, while 41% of travelers support opening their community to visitors.

"The arrival of multiple coronavirus vaccines has reignited travel planning in the U.S.," said Amir Eylon, President and CEO of Longwoods International. "The travel industry recovery appears poised to track in synch with the success of the mass vaccination program now underway across America."

When it comes to the vaccine specifically as of early February, 35% of travelers have said they will wait to travel until they receive the vaccine. However, 37% stated that the COVID-19 vaccine has no impact on their travel plans.

Though more travelers are looking ahead and making plans to travel in the future, the influence of COVID-19 is still present. The study found that 35% of travelers would choose a destination they can drive to vs. fly. And While COVID-19 continues to be the main factor impacting people's decisions to travel in the next six months, only 40% said COVID-19 will "greatly impact" their travel plans, an improvement from the mid-January study.

Written by Sarah Suydam, Managing Editor for Groups Today.