Recent research from Longwoods International reports a significant milestone has been reached with regards to the pandemic’s impact on travel.
More than half of American travelers say that the pandemic no longer influences their travel plans. However, many travelers, while still traveling, are cautious and will alter their plans as necessary with regards to safety.
“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.”
Nineteen percent of travelers still say they are traveling domestically rather than internationally, and 8 percent say they are still choosing rural destinations during the next 12 months.
The impact of gas prices has lessened during the last month. Just a quarter of travelers say that transportation costs would greatly affect their travel during the next six months, according to Longwoods.
However, Destination Analysts reports that more than 40 percent of travelers still say that prices are an impediment to travel.
Story courtesy Visit NC NewsLink, a weekly e-newsletter from the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. NewsLink provides information to nearly 4,800 tourism industry leaders, media and government representatives across the state. It distributes valuable information on Visit NC’s marketing and promotional efforts, tourism-related research, state, national and international trends, media leads, updates on conferences and events, and more.