This is the 12th edition of Fuel’s COVID-19 Consumer Sentiment Study.
NB: This is an article from Fuel Travel
As the virus continues to impact the state of travel and the hospitality industry, we want to continue to provide insights on the sentiment of consumers. We’ve asked many questions to find out how a vaccine will impact travel planning for 2021.
We hope that you find the information useful. The survey was sent out on April 8, 2021, and received 2,600 responses. Below is a summary of the findings, along with some observations and opportunities.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
We’ve already seen a giant boom in some markets over the last 6 weeks of people booking hotel rooms. Some properties are seeing more than double the revenue booked online compared to 2019. The data in this survey shows that people are ready NOW to research, book, and travel in the very near future. A few key points are below:
- More than half of the respondents have traveled since the pandemic, and most have traveled more than once.
- Nearly half of survey respondents (see caveat in the question below pertaining to the vaccination) are already fully vaccinated, with another 18% having received their first shot.
- There are some very distinct differences in opinions of what is important to people, based on their vaccination status. Those who are choosing not to get a vaccine are more confident in traveling now than those who are fully vaccinated.
- Nearly 40% of people are planning a trip RIGHT NOW, and 39% will travel during May or June.
- 33% of people will take more vacation days than in 2019, but will also take fewer trips, indicating that people will be making longer stays during their vacation.
- The 1-3 hour drive market continues to be the most popular, but flights have finally picked up in popularity, with more than 20% likely to fly in the next 30 days.
1. WHICH BEST DESCRIBES YOU REGARDING COVID VACCINATION?
- Observation: Nearly 50% of respondents are fully vaccinated, with another 18% who have had their first shot. 14% said they are undecided about getting the vaccine, and 13% responded that they are definitely not getting vaccinated.
- Caveat: The demographic makeup of this survey does skew to an older population and is likely to be skewing the results more towards being fully vaccinated than the leisure travel population as a whole.
2. WHAT IS THE FIRST WORD THAT YOU THINK OF WHEN CONSIDERING TRAVEL RIGHT NOW?
ALL RESPONDENTS
NOT GETTING VACCINE
- Observation: “Safety” remains the most popular word.
- Data Comparison: Many new positive words have appeared, including, “excited,” “vacation,” “relaxing,” “freedom,” and “fun.”
- Vaccine Status Comparison: Every group, aside from those not getting the vaccine, showed “safety” as the most popular word. Those not getting the vaccine had a very different word cloud, with “fun” as the most popular word. We also see “ready,” “awesome,” “finally,” “absolutely,” and “excitement.”
- Opportunity: While safety remains a top concern, words like, “freedom, “needed,” and “finally” show the consumers are feeling the effects of the last year, and are very ready to travel again.
3. HAVE YOU TRAVELED SINCE MARCH 15TH, 2020?
- Observation: 56% of respondents have traveled since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic.
- Data Comparison: This data is, surprisingly, not drastically changed since we first asked the question before Thanksgiving. Our last survey showed 53% had traveled.
- Vaccine Status Comparison: 71% of those who are not getting vaccinated have traveled, vs. 66% who are unsure of getting vaccinated, 53% who are fully vaccinated, 50% of those who are waiting on a second shot, and 43% who are waiting to be eligible/scheduled.
