According to the latest Longwoods International tracking study of American travelers, trip intentions remain strong, with nine in ten planning to travel during the next six months. Thirty-nine percent of travelers have their next trip planned in the next 60 days, setting up for a strong Spring Break travel season. Equally encouraging, seven in ten travelers now feel safe traveling outside their community, with this result now reaching pre-Omicron levels.

“Spring and summer travel look strong for 2022,” said Amir Eylon, President and CEO of Longwoods International. “With COVID-19 restrictions and mandates being dropped across the country, most travelers are comfortable with these developments. This wave’s data confirms Americans are ready to move on from the pandemic and get back out on the road and in the air.”

Travelers continue to voice strong support for small, local-owner restauranteurs and retailers, many of whom have suffered significant business declines throughout the two-year pandemic. The majority of travelers chose to shop local on vacation to support small, locally owned business and enjoy the unique experiences those businesses offer. Travelers seek out local experiences when they visit a community, with the top information sources being online searches, followed by advice from friends, family and/or other visitors, and tips from locals to help them find the best of local offerings.

The survey, supported by Miles Partnership, was fielded February 16, 2022 using a national sample randomly drawn from a consumer panel of 1,000 adults, ages 18 and over. Quotas were used to match Census targets for age, gender, and region to make the survey representative of the U. S. population.

Wave 56 highlights