Travelers’ COVID-19 Fears Continue to Recede

According to the latest Longwoods International tracking study of American travelers, the latest modest increase in coronavirus cases nationally is not deterring travel planning in 2022.  Only 19% of travelers say that COVID-19 will greatly impact their travel decisions in the next six months, the lowest level since the beginning of the pandemic more than two years ago.

“Barring a major reversal in the course of the pandemic, COVID-19’s impact on the travel and tourism industry appears to be tailing off,” said Amir Eylon, President and CEO of Longwoods International.  “Concerns about gas prices and other inflationary pressure on costs have become a more significant challenge even as pandemic fears recede.”

Two-thirds of travelers say that gas prices will impact their travel decisions in the next six months, with more than a third saying they will “greatly impact” their travel plans.  In response to high gas prices, travelers are choosing destinations closer to home and reducing the number of trips they are taking.  They are also cutting spending on retail, entertainment and recreation, food and beverage and lodging.   Other coping strategies include driving rather than flying on their trips.

The survey, supported by Miles Partnership, was fielded April 13, 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.