Who's not traveling and why?

As the industry finds the path back from the brink, travel companies want to understand who will travel and usher in the phase of recovery. But the people who intend to travel only tell one side of the story. For Phocuswright's latest travel research report series, COVID-19: Path to Recovery, we surveyed travelers to explore consumers' intent to travel, composition of leisure trips intended to take, what will make travelers feel safe/comfortable and changes in behavior compared to pre-COVID. If survey respondents did not wish to travel by July 2021, a secondary survey explored what's holding them back. The results were published in the report COVID-19: Why Some Consumer Won't Travel. Two more reports in the series include Travel Planning, Shopping and Booking and Perceptions of Transport, Lodging, Cruise and Activities.

With the U.S. facing widespread travel bans and uncontained cases at home, Americans are more reluctant to travel than any other market. Before COVID, Americans and Europeans had similar likelihoods to travel for leisure. Now, Americans are avoiding travel at staggeringly high rates. Even though they are more hesitant to travel, American travelers have similar concerns as European travelers. For those who aren't traveling in the next 12 months, the top reasons are:

• Leisure travel with COVID restrictions feels uninspiring. PPE and distancing precautions are the #1 damper on holiday spirit in all markets but Italy.
• Economic repercussions of COVID have made travel less feasible, especially for Italians.
• Concerns for contracting COVID still hover. Worries over health and safety are frequently cited in several markets.

(Click image to view a larger version.)

Through three reports, you'll gain an understanding of key insights like the importance of freedom of mobility, which age group is most likely to cut their budgets (and what's most impacted by budget decreases), shifting booking and research windows, the appeal of car travel, large vs. small hotel properties, travel fears and much more.

The three reports in the series include:

• COVID-19: Travel Planning, Shopping and Booking
• COVID-19: Perceptions of Transport, Lodging, Cruise and Activities
• COVID-19: Why Some Consumers Won't Travel

If you're looking to unlock the entire Phocuswright research library, subscribe to Open Access. Plus, you'll be able to give access to your entire company with your subscription. Find more information and the benefits of being a research subscriber here.