General Pessimism Around Continued Impact Of COVID Runs High

According to the latest monthly “Traveler Confidence Index” developed by Travel Again, roughly six in 10 travelers (62 percent of business travelers and 58 percent of leisure travelers) feel COVID will have the same or greater impact on their lives in 2022 than it did in 2021. Additionally, the “Business Traveler Confidence Index” hit its lowest point since August, plunging 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 Mike McCormick, co-founder, Travel Again in a press release. “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.”

As per additional key findings, for the second straight month, factors topping the lists of confidence-building elements for both business and leisure travelers included mandatory masks, frequent cleaning and vaccinations. The number of leisure travelers who feel fully ready to travel didn’t move from November’s 28 percent, but the business travel side took another hit this month. After dropping from 41 percent in October to 35 percent in November, business travelers reporting they feel fully ready to travel plunged even further to 24 percent in December. Leisure travelers continue to be more bullish on international travel than their business travel counterparts with half (50 percent) saying they would travel internationally in the next six months if they could afford it, while only 37 percent of business travelers are willing to travel internationally in the next 90 days if asked by their companies to do so.

While the "Business Traveler Confidence Index" fell to its lowest point since August, falling 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’s “Traveler Confidence Index” assesses confidence levels in both the business and leisure travelers to guide the prioritization of future travel industry initiatives by measuring the impact on traveler confidence. This 15th edition focuses on U.S. travelers; the reports will be released on a monthly basis.

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