Memorial Day Travel – Too Soon For Most

Memorial Day weekend is around the corner, but it’s way too soon to travel for nearly all Americans (95%). Despite the fact that Americans are in favor of road trips because of COVID-19 (66% agree they will take more to avoid airlines), for those not traveling Memorial Day Weekend the health risk (to themselves and others: 57% and 40% respectively) and safety concerns of travel modes (46%) is just too great right now. The majority of Americans (53%) are saying they are putting off leisure travel until at least 2021.

For the only 5% of Americans who are willing to venture out on Memorial Day many will be staying domestically (37%), utilizing a hotel (49%) or potentially flying (37%).  This group tends to be more avid travelers even before COVID who are itching to start traveling (91% agree that they can’t wait to get out and start traveling again) and tend to be younger, have higher incomes, higher education, employed, or are parents.

To get folks to travel this year, the following actions will need to be taken: sanitizing the aircraft before each flight (76%), strictly enforcing cleaning/sanitization at airports & hotels (73%), requiring face masks (66%). It’s almost split down the middle when asked have airlines or hotels done enough to maintain being safe (50% and 53% agree respectively).

KEY TAKEAWAY:

With Memorial Day just being too soon, what will be the next big travel holiday to entice more Americans to venture from home?