According to the latest Longwoods International tracking study of American travelers, the recent downward trend in gas prices translates into improving consumer confidence toward future travel.  Only 27% of travelers said gas prices would greatly impact their decision to travel in the next six months, down dramatically from the 43% of travelers who expressed the same sentiment two months ago.

“With the impact of both COVID-19 and fuel prices in decline, the outlook for fall and holiday travel is certainly improving,” said Amir Eylon, President and CEO of Longwoods International.  “But if we have learned anything during this pandemic era, the travel industry will have to remain nimble and adjust quickly to any new threats or disruptions, no matter what their source is.”

According to the latest survey, more than half of travelers plan to visit friends and relatives on their fall trips, and 43% are planning to take a fall road trip.  Other top fall trip activities include visiting state and national parks, and going to museums, art galleries and other cultural institutions, as well as fall color tours.

The survey, supported by Miles Partnership, was fielded August 31, 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.