“Amidst financial optimism and an increasingly read-to-travel mindset, many American travelers are saying YES to summer vacation this year.” — Destination Analysts
Last week, American traveler sentiment shot up in the latest survey (March 26-28, 2021) of 1,200 individuals from Destination Analysts — up 26 percentage points from 2020. Summer travelers currently have 2.2 trips planned for the season on average, with July the peak month. The desire to stay close-to-home appears to have retreated, as 70.4% of summer travelers say they will be traveling out-of-state and 8.1% say they plan to go abroad this summer. California and Florida dominate the states Americans say they are heading to this summer.
- 62.5% are traveling for leisure this summer
- 16.2% booked or made reservations in the last week
- 67.0% have trip plans in the next 3 months
- 41.3% of those traveling in the next 3 months say they will visit cities
“As has been demonstrated by their sentiments throughout the pandemic, vaccination has the greatest impact on American travelers’ anticipated behaviors. Fully 82.0% say the idea of traveling is made more comfortable by receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Two-thirds of American travelers have or will take a COVID-19 vaccine, and the majority continue to believe they will be inoculated by summer. Half of parents with school-age children plan to vaccinate their children when able as well.” — Destination Analysts
As cautions from the CDC continue and Easter approaches, we’ll report on any changes in sentiment surveys next week as well.
BREAKING NEWS: As reported by Dallas Morning News on 3/30/2021 — “American Airlines expects full fleet back this spring after major increase in bookings. Bookings are at ‘approximately 90%’ of 2019 levels and planes are filling up, the airline said.”
Philadelphia International Airport leads the top 10 ranked safest airports in the USA based on Covid-19 safety protocols — coronavirus testing facilities, disinfection frequency, thermal screening and more — according to Safe Travel Barometer, a Mumbai-based travel content aggregator. Geek out over more categories as well, adjusting the drop down from safety to traveler convenience, traveler experience or service excellence.
See Covid-19 Restrictions and Mask Mandates For All 50 States (The New York Times, updated 3/29/2021)
In an effort to fast-track the re-opening of convention centers, sports arenas, entertainment venues, and businesses, New York State has introduced a digital app that lets people prove vaccination or a valid negative Covid test. “Excelsior Pass” is the first of its kind, intended to allow safe gatherings larger than current guidelines. Madison Square Garden, with a seating capacity of 20,000, is planning to start using the app in the coming weeks. Developed by IBM, it’s similar to a boarding pass that’s displayed on a smartphone.
Japan is gearing up to issue digital health certificates to those who have been vaccinated. China, the European Union and others have adopted similar measures aimed at opening up overseas travel.
Meantime, the White House has indicated the government may issue guidelines but will not mandate credentialed vaccine passports, saying the private sector is expected to take the lead on verification of COVID-19 vaccines.
In other state-by-state news: New York is also is the latest state to announce it will legalize the recreational use of marijuana. A deal between Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state lawmakers will permit adults 21 and over to use cannabis. Momentum around legalization continues to gain momentum nationally, with New Jersey approving a similar measure last month.
