World Nomads survey finds travel confidence remains high
Despite a summer of travel chaos in the United States, an overwhelming majority of Americans now say that nothing would stop them booking a vacation
Not even covid fears and airport chaos will keep Americans at home
- Majority of Americans surveyed (67 percent) said nothing would stop them from booking travel.
- 44 percent plan to take at least one trip in the next year.
- Top destinations: Mexico, Italy, Spain, Iceland.
- Only nine percent say fear of Covid-19 would stop them traveling.
- Baggage delay claims soared a record 122 percent in past three months.
- Flight delay and cancellation claims up 30 percent in same period.
Despite a summer of travel chaos in the United States, fueled by the lingering effects of the global pandemic, flight delays, strikes, extreme weather, inflation and a looming recession, an overwhelming majority of Americans now say that nothing would stop them booking a vacation, a sharp rise from previous survey results in March.
World Nomads surveyed1 2,900 Americans in June and July on their travel intentions over winter and the early months of 2023. This is the fifth in a series of traveler surveys.
Christina Tunnah, general manager of marketing and brands, World Nomads, said
Despite the economic headwinds and seemingly endless turbulence on the travel front, more than ever Americans are prioritising vacations as a worthwhile expense and a way to escape it all, People are keen to get back out and explore the world. Things might not always go according to plan, but it’s not putting people off making those plans.
World Nomads is a fast-growing travel insurance provider offering simple and flexible travel insurance and safety advice to help consumers travel more confidently. Its survey, a leading indicator of travel intent, shows 67 percent of travellers will book vacations, noting there’s nothing in the current environment that would derail their plans. This is up from 40 percent reported in the previous survey, conducted in March, who said they intended to travel.
The World Nomads’ Traveler Intent survey found 44 percent of respondents plan to take one trip in the next year; 41 percent will take two to three trips and 10 percent plan to take four to five trips.
New destinations are high on the list of priorities for Americans as the world reopens: 70 percent plan to travel to a new destination.
Top destinations for travel include Mexico, Italy, Spain as well as Iceland and Peru. Relaxing and disconnecting from work and busy lives is high on the list of priorities for 36 percent of respondents; 20 percent will participate in outdoor adventures and 18 percent will opt for cultural immersion.
Other findings show travellers remain resilient and confident about their travel plans, despite overall pessimism about the state of the US economy, rising inflation and the impact of rising interest rates. Only nine percent said their concerns about Covid would prevent them from booking future travel, compared to 13 percent when surveyed six months ago.
Just six percent said they were worried about cost-of-living increases impacting their travel budgets, and only five percent said that they could not afford to travel right now. In March, 21 percent said they could not afford to travel.
Only four percent are concerned about border restrictions changing while they are overseas, compared with 13 percent who indicated concern in March.
Travel Mishaps Persist with Baggage and Flight Delay Claims on The Rise
While Americans are ready to get back out there in the coming months, it isn’t without some level of concern following a summer with so many experiencing travel mishaps.
World Nomads reported some of its largest increases in mishandled luggage (delayed, lost/stolen, damaged) claims since 2019. Baggage delay claims alone increased a record 122 percent in the past three months compared to the same period prior to the pandemic in 2019.
Flight delay and cancellation claims are also up 30 percent for the same period. This comes on the heels of the Department of Transportation’s recently announced proposed changes to federal policy that guide flight refunds when airlines cancel flights or significantly alter a flight schedule.
“There is no doubt that this summer has been a bumpy road back to travel for millions of Americans, and World Nomads’ baggage delay, flight delay and cancellation claim reports over the past three months clearly demonstrate this,” Tunnah said. “However, we are seeing that more and more Americans are recognising the value of having that extra layer of protection that travel insurance provides if things don’t go as planned.”
World Nomads Launches “Explore More” Campaign to Allow Travel with Confidence
To help educate travellers on how travel insurance coverage works, how to protect their travel investment and how to arm themselves with expert travel safety advice and support before leaving home, World Nomads is launching an “Explore More” campaign this fall.
Find out more about BETA Member World Nomads here
Published 01 September 2022
