(TAN): As many as 99% of US and Canadian travellers are eager to travel again, with 70% saying they plan to take a holiday in 2021, a survey of nearly 3,000 frequent travellers revealed. The survey was conducted in September in conjunction with the World Travel & Tourism Council.
Results indicate that 45% of respondents have already made plans or are starting to make finite plans for their next holiday, while 54%say they are dreaming of when they can travel again.
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“These are really strong numbers. The fact that 99% of travellers surveyed said they are planning a trip or looking forward to the time they can travel again indicates that as concerns about Covid-19 are addressed, leisure travellers will lead the recovery,” said John Lovell, president of Travel Leaders Group.
In the survey, 23% of respondents said they plan to travel by the end of 2020, 70% said they will travel in 2021 with just 18% saying they will resume traveling in 2022.
“Consumer uncertainty about the risk of exposure or concerns about being quarantined is a core problem,” said Gloria Guevara, WTTC president & CEO. “With rapid testing to replace quarantine requirements, enhanced contact tracing and industry-wide standards by sector that can be clearly communicated to the public, we can help alleviate many of those concerns.”
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The willingness of Americans to travel can be seen in the slow, but steady, increase in the Transportation Security Administration’s daily screening numbers, which fell below 90,000 a day in April and are now approaching 1 million a day at peak periods. In 2019, TSA daily traveller counts averaged between 2.3 and 2.7 million passengers a day.
