Caution is the word when it comes to holiday travel plans

According to the latest Longwoods International tracking study of American travellers, holiday travel planning points to a season comparable to 2023, with 19% predicting more travel than last year, 64% planning about the same amount of travel as 2023 and 18% expecting to travel less than last year.

In contrast, a year ago 23% of travellers expected more holiday travel, 58% were planning about the same amount of travel, and 19% predicted less holiday travel than the previous year. Thirty percent of travellers say inflation will greatly impact their travel decisions in the next 12 months, up from 24% in July.

Amir Eylon, President and CEO of Longwoods International, observed that: “Higher costs due to inflation and perceptions about the relative strength of the economy and job market appear to be making travellers more cautious about holiday travel planning when compared with 2023.”

And Eylon added: “If these trends continue as we get closer to the holidays, we can expect holiday travel and spending to be relatively flat for 2024.”

Twenty-three percent of travellers expect to spend more on travel this holiday season, down from 28% in 2023, likely reflecting recent lows in inflation having an impact on price expectations. And 55% of travellers expect to spend about the same on holiday travel this year, up from 49% in 2023.

Go to https://longwoods-intl.com/covid-19 for more.