With the rise in reported COVID cases, travel sentiment has definitely seen a shift since our last survey.
We asked a new question pertaining to the preference of mask ordinances in the respondents’ travel destination, and broke out many questions based on those responses. There is a clear divide in behavior. Below are the key points of this survey.
- There were equal numbers of people who want to go to a destination with a mask ordinance as those who do not want one.
- The topic of masks came up for the first time in both word clouds for feelings on traveling now, and when people will feel ready to travel.
- 63% of all respondents said the rise in COVID-19 is impacting travel plans for 2020.
- The propensity to travel within the next 3 months has decreased across the board. However, those who prefer to travel to a destination without a mask ordinance had more confidence in in this time frame.
- The number of people who could not be persuaded to book a vacation increased for the first time since the start of this survey series.
- 40%-60% of respondents were less likely to take all of types of vacations (hotel, VRBO, RV, etc.) because of the pandemic.
- We saw more people hesitant to make use of on-site amenities, with the likelihood of using an outdoor pool decreasing substantially. Again, there was quite discrepant data looking at the breakdown of mask preferences.
- Open air destinations and 2 hour drive locations are still far more likely to be visited in the near future, and even more so by those who prefer no mask ordinances.
1. If your desired destination implements a mandatory face mask ordinance, how will this impact your travel plans?
- Observation: Nearly half of respondents say they are unaffected by mask ordinances, and nearly equal amount of respondents were either more likely or less likely to travel to a destination because of an ordinance.
- Opportunity: It is important that your property take a stand on this issue, and follow through. Being clear in your expectations of guests’ behavior than being wishy-washy. This data shows that regardless of which stand you take, you will have equal number of people who are happy about that stance vs. unhappy. Having no clear policy leaves a lot of room for ALL guests to be unhappy upon arrival, being annoyed with other guests’ behavior.
This is the question we used to break down many other questions. You will see “Mask Preference” in the comments of other questions, and the labels “prefer mask” or “prefer no mask” as the comment categories.
2. Is the reported increase in COVID-19 cases going to impact your vacation plans for 2020?
Want Masks
Do Not Want Masks
- Observation: 63% of people said yes.
- Mask Preference: 75% of those who prefer masks answered yes, vs. 57% who prefer no masks, and 58% of those are unaffected by masks.
3. What is the first word that you think of when considering travel right now?
- Observation: “Safety” remains the most popular word.
- Data Comparison: “Mask” and “masks” have mad their first appearance. “Scary,” “risky” and “dangerous” remain at the same size we’ve seen through the last few surveys. “Nope” has returned. There is only one form of “relaxation” in this cloud. “Money” has made a third appearance, while “cost” and “price” have disappeared. “Ready” has returned, after a few versions without it, and “fun” remains again.
- Mask Preference: Those preferring masks mentioned “cleanliness” and “uncertainty.” Those who prefer no masks still chose “safety” as the top word. However, they also chose “freedom”, “excited,” and “restrictions.”
- Opportunity: People are concerned for their safety above all, but they are also craving relaxation and freedom from their houses. What can you do to ease their mind about traveling to your property, with their budget concerns in mind?
