Travel Demand Extends Summer Travel Into Fall

Saturday, 24 Aug, 2020 0

The tourism industry has been rapidly transforming and adapting as travel seasonality and consumer trip-planning behavior have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. MMGY Global – the world’s leading integrated marketing company specializing in travel, tourism and hospitality – has identified an opportunity to help bolster the travel industry and help Americans get back lost vacation time with "Stretch Season," extending the traditional summer travel season well past Labor Day into fall.

There is huge pent-up travel demand, and as Americans become more comfortable with venturing out, combined with the continuation of remote work and learning, fall becomes an opportune time to make up for lost travel experiences. Remote work and learning also make midweek and weeklong stays, times typically less expensive to travel than weekends, more feasible than in years past.

The latest results of MMGY Travel Intelligence’s ongoing Travel Intentions Pulse Survey, which measures the impact of COVID-19 on American travelers’ attitudes and changes in travel behavior, point to the potential for Stretch Season to be lucrative for the hurting travel industry.

64% of travelers expect to take a leisure trip within the next six months.

54% of travelers say that they are more likely to travel in the fall this year than in previous years.

Leisure trips planned for late July and August have shifted to a new period of fall leisure travel thanks to loosened cancellation policies and travel brands adapting quickly to the new marketplace.

73% of travelers feel safe traveling in their cars.

"The season following Labor Day provides travelers an opportunity to extend their travel budgets during a more value-oriented period, especially in their own cities, regionally and in destinations that feature outdoor activities like beaches and parks," said Clayton Reid, CEO of MMGY Global. "This new reality creates an opportunity to boost the travel industry and help stimulate economic recovery," said Reid.

Road trips remain popular with 73 percent of travelers feeling safe traveling in their cars. Families with kids doing remote learning can extend vacations and work and learn in their travel destinations.

To take advantage of this new trend, Greater Zion and Bryce Canyon Country announced today their new destination partnership with AmericanTours International (ATI). The Drive America program offers travelers the opportunity to explore and enjoy wide-open spaces in two of the most beautiful and popular national parks in the USA, as well as throughout America.

Only 29 percent of business travelers are expecting to take a business trip in the next three months which creates an opportunity for those road warriors to extend time with friends and family and dedicate more time (and loyalty redemption points) to leisure.

Budget-minded travelers can take advantage of fall deals and savings by traveling during a typical shoulder season, stretching their budgets farther in sought-after destinations such as beaches and national parks.

For more information on the Stretch Season visit https://www.mmgyglobal.com/news/stretch-season, or for MMGY Global’s COVID-19 resource page visit www.mmgyglobal.com/covid-19/.

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