Summer travel close to returning to pre-pandemic levels

Generali Global Assistance today announced the findings from US respondents to the 2023 Holiday Barometer – the annual poll sponsored by its parent company, Europ Assistance, and conducted by the consumer research firm Ipsos.

The survey was conducted between 20 March and 7 April 2023 in 15 countries, with 1,000 residents surveyed in each.

Of the US respondents, 63 per cent said they are planning to travel during the months of June to September – the North American summer holiday season – a three per cent increase from last year. But 61 per cent hadn’t booked it at the time of the survey.

Travel budgets have also increased, with those surveyed saying they plan to spend $3,013 this summer – a six per cent increase from 2022 budgets. However, 66 per cent said they would also be looking for last minute deals because of rising inflation.

When deciding where to go, 37 per cent of US travellers said they would choose a domestic trip over going abroad (33 per cent). Forty-five per cent are choosing city stays over beach trips (42 per cent), but tour-style trips have increased 11 per cent year-on-year to 30 per cent.

Chris Carnicelli, CEO of Generali Global Assistance, said: “With each passing summer we see a return to normalcy in the summer travel season with 75 per cent of Americans surveyed saying they were excited to travel this year. A decrease in early bookings according to findings shows signs of a growing trend of travellers looking for flexibility by waiting to book closer to their travel date.

“While budgets for US travellers increased by six per cent over 2022, the number of respondents who indicated their reason for not traveling was due to either being unable to afford a summer trip or because they wanted to save money increased by six per cent and four per cent over 2022, which is unsurprising given rising inflation.”

Travel concerns

Respondents still have concerns about travel coming up to the summer. The main concern across all countries is rising inflation, with 61 per cent of US travellers citing this as their top worry.

However, even before the World Health Organization declared the end of the pandemic, Covid-19 was the lowest concern of Americans (34 per cent).

When looking at what things people would avoid when travelling, cruises and crowded places saw notable decreases as compared to last year likely a sign of a return to pre Covid-19 baselines with six per cent of US respondents saying they would no longer avoid going on a cruise.

In terms of insurance, 19 per cent said they were more likely to take out coverage for their trips due to the Covid-19 pandemic and its effects.