As U. S. stay-at-home orders ease, most Americans are planning to travel at home and by car in the post-coronavirus era. Tourism experts say domestic travel will boom, due to ongoing international travel bans. A desire to stick close to home will see a resurgence of the Great American road trip.
In the post-Coronavirus travel world, most Americans will holiday at home, and travel by car. The combined effect of ongoing international travel bans, easing but not over lockdowns, and the desire to stick close to home (now we’ve all grown so used to them!) will fuel that trend experts say.
Lou Hammond, founder of the tourism and hospitality agency of her name, tips regional and domestic U. S. travel to thrive in 2020 as a result. As soon as people get the go-ahead, they’ll be off she says. “Vacation is considered a right, perhaps more this summer than ever. However, travel planning must be easy and not too far from home.”
The predictions are backed by a Skift survey, showing 40% of Americans say their first post-COVID trip will be by car, within 100 miles of home. 26% will go over the 100 mile mark, but stick to the U. S., and to cars. Only 16% will take a flight; 8% plan to leave the U. S.
Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin, is fuelling the travel local trend, encouraging Americans to focus on domestic vacations this year as the outlook for international trips looks dim.
Yes domestic trips will take off first says Misty Belles, global PR chief for Virtuoso, a network of high-end travel companies. The gradual easing of travel restrictions will unleash the desire to break free after weeks of confinement she says. Soon the close-to-home “corona-cation” will be born,” Belles writes in TravelAge West. “This is an important first step: With 20% of people expressing concerns over air travel, restoring consumer confidence will be a key part of recovery.
