According to the latest Longwoods International tracking study of American travelers, 92% of them plan to travel in the next six months, which is near a record high percentage in the past 12 months.  However, there has been an uptick in concern about both personal finances and travel costs.

“The new year is off to a strong start for travelers and the travel industry,” said Amir Eylon, President and CEO of Longwoods International.  “That said, inflation during the past couple of years is still on the mind of travelers, who have experienced higher costs for many goods and services.”

The percentage of travelers who reported that concerns about their personal financial situation would greatly impact their travel in the next six months jumped from 22% in November to 29% in January, the highest level in a year.  Similarly, travelers who reported that their future travel would be greatly impacted by transportation costs rose from 19% in November to 29% in January.  And the impact of higher airfares on trips in the next six months also increased, from 21% of travelers in November to 29% in January.

The survey, supported by Miles Partnership, was fielded January 10, 2024 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.

Longwoods International is a leading travel and tourism research consultancy with headquarters in Columbus, Ohio and Toronto Canada, and offices in Florida, North Carolina, New York, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin.  It conducts Longwoods Travel USA^®, the largest ongoing survey of American travelers, as well as image, advertising effectiveness, advertising return on investment, sentiment, and other custom research in 12 countries around the globe.