According to the latest Longwoods International tracking study of American travelers, only 12% of them said that coronavirus would greatly impact their decision to travel in the next six months, the lowest level since the pandemic first appeared three years ago.   Concerns about travelers’ personal financial situation greatly influencing their travel plans was cited by nearly twice as many respondents, at 23%, but that was down 7% from a month earlier.

“Traveler attitudes toward the pandemic and their personal finances are both moving in the right direction, which is very positive for the travel industry,” said Amir Eylon, President and CEO of Longwoods International.  “And encouraging news about a possible “soft landing” for the economy in the fight against inflation is likely driving this improved traveler outlook.”

Even with a better assessment of their personal finances, travelers continue to keep an eye on inflation, with about half saying that inflation will impact their travel decisions in the next six months.   Travelers are coping with inflation by reducing spending across the board, on retail, entertainment and travel.

The survey, supported by Miles Partnership, was fielded February 1, 2023 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.