Americans Keep Travel Options Open This Summer

Generali Global Assistance ("GGA") has announced the findings from U.S. respondents to the 2023 Holiday Barometer – the annual poll sponsored by its parent company, Europ Assistance, and conducted by the consumer research firm Ipsos. The survey was conducted between March 20 and April 7, 2023 in 15 countries.

Based on the survey of 1000 residents of each country, summer travel is close to returning to pre-pandemic levels. Of the U.S. travelers surveyed, 63% say they intend to travel this summer – a 3 percent increase over last year. Interestingly summer travelers are waiting longer to book their travel, likely in an attempt to keep their summer travel options open, with only 39% planning to travel saying they've booked their trips.

Chris Carnicelli, CEO of Generali Global Assistance, commented on the findings, "With each passing summer we see a return to normalcy in the summer travel season with 75% of Americans surveyed saying they were excited to travel this year. A decrease in early bookings according to findings shows signs of a growing trend of travelers looking for flexibility by waiting to book closer to their travel date. While budgets for US travelers increased by 6% over 2022, the number of respondents who indicated their reason for not traveling was due to either being unable to afford a summer trip or because they wanted to save money increased by 6% and 4% over 2022, which is unsurprising given rising inflation."

Upcoming Travel Plans

• 63% of U.S. respondents are planning to travel during the months of June through September, coinciding with the North American summer vacation season.
• Travel budgets are on the rise amongst Americans with those surveyed planning to spend $3,013 this year – a 6% increase from last year.
• 61% of respondents who plan on a summer trip had not booked it yet at the time of the survey and when asked how they plan to adapt their travel plans due to inflation, 66% of Americans said they might look for last-minute special deals.
• When asked where they planned to go on a trip this summer 37 % of U.S. travelers opted for a domestic trip over going abroad (33% of U.S. respondents).
• While vacationers from the U.S. are still picking city vacations (45%) over trips to the beach (42%) the number of Americans who indicated they would take a tour-style trip (30%) saw an 11% increase year over year.

Travel Concerns

• Inflation is the main concern for travelers in all countries, far above other reasons, with it being a top concern among 61% of U.S. travelers.
• Even before the recent announcement from the WHO declaring the end of the pandemic, COVID-19 was at the bottom of the list, with it only being a concern to 34% of Americans.
• When looking at what things people would avoid when traveling, cruises and crowded places saw notable decreases as compared to last year likely a sign of a return to pre COVID-19 baselines with 6% of U.S. respondents saying they would no longer avoid going on a cruise.
• 19% of Americans say they are more likely to take coverage for their trips due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Survey Methodology

The 2023 edition of the Holiday Barometer from Europ Assistance and Ipsos was conducted in 15 countries including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Portugal, Belgium, Poland, Czech Republic, Malaysia, and Australia. In each country, 1,000 consumers aged 18 years and older took part in an online questionnaire. The survey was conducted between March 20 and April 7 and investigated consumer holiday plans and travel preferences.