Stats: Americans’ Confidence in Summer Travel an All-Time High

Americans aren’t letting anything interfere with their long-awaited getaway plans this year. Allianz Partners USA’s “14th Annual Vacation Confidence Index” (which surveyed over 2,000 Americans) indicates that vacation confidence remains at an all-time high, with 60 percent of Americans intending to book a summer trip in 2022. (For reference, Allianz defined a vacation as leisure travel of at least a week to a destination at least 100 miles from home.)

Summer vacation confidence hovered around 43 percent during the previous decade (2010 – 2019) before falling to a record low of 26 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020). In 2021, revenge travel plans fueled the dramatic spike to 60 percent, and continued pent-up desire and restored access to destinations have kept the measurement at that same level this year. The survey also revealed that 76 percent of the Americans who believe vacation is important typically travel during the summer.

Vacation confidence begins to wane with maturity and, according to Allianz, the added responsibilities associated with cultivating both careers and families. As a result, those expressing the highest levels of confidence in summer 2022 travel are younger. In the 18 – 34 age bracket, 69 percent report they plan to vacation, followed by 64 percent of those ages 35 – 54 and just half of Americans ages 55 or older.

Not surprisingly, income also plays a role in confidence with 73 percent of those earning $100,000 or more expected to enjoy a summer vacation this year, compared to 60 percent of Americans who earn between $50,000 and $100,000, followed by just under half (45 percent) of those making less than $50,000 annually. The gender gap shifted only slightly in 2022 with 65 percent of men who believe a summer vacation is do-able compared to 56 percent of women.

Key Factors Affecting 2022 Travel Plans

Allianz Partners 14 Annual Vacation Confidence Index

A host of factors continue to impact travel this year from inflation-fueled price hikes to possible lingering COVID concerns. Americans not planning a summer vacation have shifted their reasoning in 2022, with the majority (57 percent) now citing not wanting to spend money as the primary rationale, jumping 19 points versus last year. Similarly, among Americans who lack confidence in any summer travel plans, 68 percent indicated they have scaled back due to inflation.

For those scaling back but still traveling anyway, average spending dips to just $2,099 compared to $3,164 for those who are not adjusting due to inflation (33 percent less).

Avoiding taking time off from work (11 percent), personal obligations outside of work (7 percent) and the time and stress of vacation planning (10 percent) are among the other justifications offered by Americans not confident about traveling this year. Finally, “other” reasons (likely including COVID-19) contributing to lack of confidence in taking a vacation dropped 12 points from 2021 (32 percent versus 44 percent), at least partly crediting the impact of worldwide vaccinations and established preventive measures within the travel space. Older Americans were most-likely to select “other” as a reason not to embark on a summer travel outing, which may point to concerns around health issues, Allianz noted.

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