Travel Behaviors, Predictions and Concerns During COVID-19

The seventeenth wave of the ongoing study by AMC Global (an international custom market research firm specializing in launch strategies and brand tracking) and OpinionRoute (a leader in insights process management) was released today. The research focused on Americans’ travel behaviors during the pandemic, and predicted travel plans for the remainder of 2020. Drastic drops in travel were uncovered in the study, particularly for air travel and hotels/motels, with some potential recovery predicted for the fourth quarter of 2020. Travel concerns cited by respondents include the cleanliness of hotel/motel rooms and the idea of being in confined spaces of planes and cars. 

New results will now be released every other Thursday based on the previous week’s polling of U.S.-based general population of primary purchasers age 21+. 

Key findings for the week of September 7: 

• During COVID-19, 21% of Americans will not consider traveling by airplane, 36% are hesitant to travel by air, and 21% say their attitude is unchanged about airplane travel during the pandemic.
• Some of the top concerns regarding air travel included being in a confined space with other people (46%), not wanting to be quarantined upon arrival at destination or at home (37%), and not wanting to risk exposure for self, friends and family (34%).
• Only 21% of respondents stayed in a hotel or motel June-August 2020 (compared to 50% in the same time period last year). Top concerns about hotel/motel stays included the room not being thoroughly cleaned (60%), other people in the room touching belongings (39%), and potential interaction with other people in the hallways and common areas (34%).
• Fifty-three percent of respondents are planning to visit family and friends before the end of 2020, and 37% plan to stay in a hotel/motel during the remainder of the year.

A complete graphical representation of the travel response data can be found here.