Gas Price Worries Accelerate Among Travelers

According to the latest Longwoods International tracking study of American travelers, the percentage of travelers who report that rising gas prices will “greatly impact” their travel in the next six months jumped from 29% on March 2nd to 38% on March 16th.  A third of travelers now say they will reduce the number of trips they will take, and a similar percentage say they are choosing destinations closer to home.  In contrast, only 21% of travelers say COVID-19 will greatly impact their travel in the next six months, near the lowest level since the pandemic began two years ago.

“With the average cost of gas in the U.S. above $4.25 per gallon, the travel patterns for spring/summer travel season may be different than originally expected as folks may alter how they travel and spend in order to stay within their budget,” said Amir Eylon, President and CEO of Longwoods International.  “The push-pull of pandemic versus gas prices will require the tourism industry to be nimble as demand fluctuates and travel costs weigh on consumers who are paying significantly more at the pump.”

Concerns about COVID-19 continue to fade, with 73% of travelers feeling safe traveling outside their communities and 69% supporting the opening of their communities to visitors, both pandemic highs.  And 73% feel safe dining in local restaurants and shopping in local stores.

The survey, supported by Miles Partnership, was fielded March 16, 2022 using a national sample randomly drawn from a consumer panel of 1,000 adults, ages 18 and over.  Quotas were used to match Census targets for age, gender, and region to make the survey representative of the U. S. population.