US: Global insurance firm Generali Global Assistance has published the findings of its survey of the US travel market, revealing that 74 per cent of American travellers intend to travel during the holiday season.
Further insights show that the market is split between accommodation options, with 53 per cent claiming they would stay in a hotel while 49.5 per cent would choose short-term rental accommodation.
Generali’s Holiday 2020/21 Travel Sentiment Survey took the responses of 1,138 travellers between 26 October and 5 November of this year on their travel preferences. The survey consisted of 16 questions and was conducted mostly online.
The survey highlighted an increased willingness to purchase travel insurance, and reported that the majority of respondents intend to travel by car. Domestic travel is still the dominant form of travel for the US market, with 63 per cent choosing to stay in the country while 23 per cent plan to travel internationally.
Generali Global Assistance CEO Chris Carnicelli said: “The average person’s willingness to travel is increasing and while there’s still plenty of pandemic related uncertainty, according to our Holiday/2021 Travel Sentiment Survey, most Americans are planning to travel domestically during the upcoming holiday season.
“The pandemic has also impacted the average consumers’ willingness to purchase travel insurance with almost 60 per cent of US travellers indicating they are more likely to buy travel insurance now compared to their willingness to buy before the Covid-19 pandemic,” he added.
The survey also highlighted the most desirable destinations for the upcoming year, both domestically and internationally. Florida, California and New York topped the US list, while France, Mexico and Italy were the most popular international option.
Research from Guesty supports the consistency of holiday travel demand, with guests aiming to book for longer periods and spend more money. The company revealed that recent news about the effectiveness of potential Covid-19 vaccines has already boosted bookings, with Q1 2021 bookings rising following the announcements by Pfizer and Moderna last week.
