A recent national survey commissioned by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) shows that more than two-thirds (69 percent) of Americans will not travel for Christmas. With a new surge in COVID-19 cases, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommending that Americans do not travel over the holiday season and new stay-at-home orders in place in states across the country, the holiday season will compound the challenges already facing the hotel industry during this public health crisis.
The survey of 2,200 adults was conducted November 2-4, 2020 by Morning Consult on behalf of AHLA. Among the findings, the survey found that three-quarters (74 percent) of those traveling overnight for Christmas report they will stay with a family or friend.
Looking back, AHLA reports that only 3 in 10 respondents (32 percent) have taken an overnight vacation or leisure trip since March. And looking ahead to next year, 24 percent says they are likely to travel for spring break. Nearly half (44 percent) say their next hotel stay for vacation or leisure travel will be a year or more from now or they have no plans to stay in a hotel.
Business travel has been affected even more, AHLA says, as only 8 percent of Americans say they have taken an overnight business trip since March. Additionally, only 8 percent of all adults expect to travel for business within the next six months and 62 percent of employed Americans have no plans to stay in a hotel for business.
The hotel industry is facing record job loss if Congress does not provide relief. According to AHLA, every hour that Congress doesn’t act, hotels lose 400 jobs, with up to 3 million permanent jobs lost. Seventy-one percent of hotels will not be able to last another six months without immediate assistance according to a recent AHLA survey of hotel owners and operators.
Source: AHLA
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