Travel safety sentiment on the rise in US, according to MMGY Global research

MMGY Global, a travel and hospitality marketing agency, has been tracking the impact of Covid-19 on US traveller sentiment and behaviours since March 2020 and finds that, for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic began, its Domestic Travel Safety Barometer score rose above 50, indicating that travellers are “increasingly confident” about the idea of travelling. The latest findings from both MMGY Travel Intelligence’s Travel Intentions Pulse Survey (TIPS) and MMGY Global’s Travel Safety Barometer show increasing confidence in the safety of domestic and international travel, cruising, dining and entertainment, business travel and lodging. The Barometer, which measures perceptions of safety on a scale of 0 (extremely unsafe) to 100 (extremely safe), rose to 52, 22 points higher than it was in April. Wave IX of the TIPS survey, conducted in late September, also found that 46% of respondents said they are “likely” to take a domestic leisure trip in the next six months. The International Travel Safety Barometer also increased by six points to 38 in October. In addition, 25% of TIPS respondents said they are likely to take an international leisure trip during the next six months, up from 18% in Wave VIII. After months of stagnation, the October Business Travel Safety Barometer displayed promising signs of recovery, increasing to 41, a 12-point increase from the May score, while The Travel Safety Barometer score for attending a conference or convention increased from 30 in September to 35 in October, a 16% spike. For the past several survey waves, the Cruise Travel Safety Barometer has remained in the low- to mid-20s, a score that has consistently ranked at the bottom of all travel categories for safety. However, between September and October, the score increased by 7 points, rising from 24 to 31. The TIPS survey also found travellers are more assured about participating in all forms of dining and entertainment activities. Outdoor travel experiences continue to be perceived as safer than indoor experiences, with travellers feeling safest going to a state/national park and to the beach. These activities’ respective Barometer scores hit record highs in October. The TIPS survey also found that the availability of a vaccine would have the greatest impact on respondents’ decisions about future travel. However, half (49%) said they would wait at least a few months to get it, while 11% stated they would not consent to being vaccinated at all. MMGY Travel Intelligence’s Travel Intentions Pulse Survey is conducted monthly among 1,200 US residents who have taken an overnight trip for either business or leisure in the past 12 months. Wave IX of the survey was conducted 21–28 September, 2020, and Wave VIII was conducted 21–31 August, 2020.  The full report is available here. MMGY Global’s Travel Safety Barometer is culled monthly from the Travel Intentions Pulse Survey, providing a comprehensive picture about how safe Americans think it is to travel. The full report is available here.