General Pessimism Around the Continued Impact of COVID Runs High
Business Traveler Confidence Index Drops to Lowest Level Since August
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Colleen Gallagher
January 12, 2022 (Washington, DC) – Roughly 6 in 10 travelers (62% of business travelers and 58% of leisure travelers) feel COVID will have the same or greater impact on their lives in 2022 than it did in 2021, according to the latest monthly Traveler Confidence Index developed by Travel Again. Additionally, the Business Traveler Confidence Index hit its lowest point since August dropping to 3.27 in December.
“Whether it is the winter blues or the Omicron effect, confidence that we will move to a post-COVID life is generally low right now,” said Travel Again Co-Founder Mike McCormick. “We’ll continue to monitor our monthly confidence numbers as increased confidence over the first quarter of 2022 will be a significant factor in driving the continued recovery of the travel industry.”
Additional Key Findings
For the second straight month, mandatory masks, frequent cleaning and vaccinations topped the lists of confidence building elements for both business and leisure travelers.
The number of leisure travelers who feel fully ready to travel didn't move from November's 28%, but the business travel side took another hit this month. After falling from 41% in October to 35% in November, business travelers reporting they feel fully ready to travel fell even further to 24% in December.
Leisure travelers continue to be more bullish on international travel than their business travel counterparts with half (50%) saying they would travel internationally in the next six months if they could afford it, while only 37% of business travelers are willing to travel internationally in the next 90 days if asked by their companies to do so.
Traveler Confidence Index: The Business Traveler Confidence Index fell to its lowest point since August dropping from 3.65 in November to 3.27 in December. The Leisure Traveler Confidence Index remained relatively steady moving from 3.46 to 3.44.
Travel Again has developed the Traveler Confidence Index assessing confidence levels in both the business and leisure traveler to guide the prioritization of future travel industry initiatives by measuring the impact on traveler confidence. This 15th edition focuses on U.S. travelers and we will continue reporting out on the index monthly.
About Travel Again: Travel Again unites the global travel industry to restore consumer and corporate confidence in traveling and to encourage responsible government policy. Visit travelagainproject.org for more information. Join Travel Again and support the global recovery of the travel industry. Follow Travel Again on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.