08/04/2023
Updates 08/04/2023: Ohio's Travel Industry and Current Travel Research
THOSE MOVING TO A NEW AREA VISIT AS A LEISURE TRAVELER FIRST, IMPACT OF INFLATION ON TRAVEL SHOWING IMPROVEMENT, PANDEMIC CONCERNS STILL LINGERING
Key findings from Longwoods International, fielded July 19:
- 17% of American travelers say they either have or have planned to boycott a destination due to current issues (government, societal, etc.).
- Among those travelers who moved to a new location in the past three years, 67% of them reported they had visited their new hometowns as a leisure visitor prior to moving there.
- Key economic sentiment indicators are showing some improvement since the beginning of the year with the percentage of American travelers that say inflation is greatly impacting their travel decisions in the next six months dropping to 23%, down from a peak of 32% in March.
- Demand to travel is still holding steady with 89% having plans in the next six months, despite economic concerns among travelers.
- While much of the world has moved on from the pandemic, its impact still lingers in travel. While only 11% of American travelers continue to report that COVID-19 will greatly impact their decision to travel in the next six months, only 59% indicate that it has zero influence upon their travel plans moving forward. In fact, 32% of travelers still say they are changing their travel plans in some way due to COVID-19:
- 16% still travelling domestic vs. international;
- 14% still choosing destinations they can drive to over flying;
- 10% still choosing rural over urban destinations;
- Only 4% choose not to travel.