COVID-19 Travel Sentiment Monitor – May Report
COVID-19 Travel Sentiment Monitor – May Report
Last updated: Dec 21, 2023 · 5 min read

COVID-19 Travel Sentiment Monitor: How demand changed after months of lockdowns

In comparison with similar surveys LuggageHero conducted in March and in April, the May results confirm travelers’ intentions to switch to domestic travel in the upcoming months. It also suggests that people are now less worried about their budgets than they were when the crisis started.

As some countries have already started relaxing the restrictions and others are planning to do this soon, people around the world are now eager to travel after such a long indoor routine. They are still optimistic about hitting the road again, and plan to start with regional destinations, according to the survey conducted in May 10-14, 2020, via online forms, ensuring gender and age balance as well as geographical representation.

Traveling abroad

More than a third of the respondents would like to go to another country before September if the quarantine restrictions are lifted, while 31% will wait until next year – 9% of those people said that would be only on the condition that a vaccine has been made available. All in all, we can see a 26% rise in willingness to travel abroad in 2020 compared to last month’s report, increasing to 74% of the worldwide respondents.

 

Domestic travel

From May through September, at least 71% of respondents say they plan to explore their own country, either for road trips or city breaks.
Almost half of respondents are planning to travel inside their countries in the summer months. Moreover, another 16% are so eager to travel they will hit the road within the first 15 days after restrictions are lifted. On the other hand, 6% said they would not leave their own city until a vaccine is available. An even smaller group of 3% say they will wait for the economy to return to normal before leaving their city.

 

Business Travel

Even though online meetings have become routine in the last two months, people still value face-to-face interactions, especially when it comes to professional business matters. Only 17% said they have adapted to the efficiency of the online meetings, and – against all odds – 55% believe they will have at least one business trip by the end of 2020.

 

Budgets

More than three-quarters of survey respondents said the financial impact to their household was relatively small, from 0 to 25%. However 12% said that since the pandemic started, their monthly household income has dropped by more than 50%. Surprisingly, travelers’ 2020 travel budget expectations look better in this month’s report compared to the previous month when LuggageHero asked the same question. In May, 38% said they expect to spend the same amount as planned earlier, and 17% will decrease their budget by only 0-20%. Comparatively, the April survey showed that while 35% would stick to the same travel budget for this year, projected decreases in spending were slightly greater. Perhaps travelers found some financial solutions or were feeling more fearful in the first phases of the quarantine.

When it comes to budgets, there are some differences in age groups. Among respondents, those taking the biggest hit are the 16-25 year olds, where 53% managed to keep their travel budgets the same or slightly lower (maximum 20%) than pre-pandemic levels. But among the 36-45 age group, 59% will manage to spend at the same levels or slightly lower as they’d planned in the beginning of the year.

 

You can check out the full results below:

Assuming there will be no quarantine restrictions, do you plan to travel abroad again? (Multiple answers) Worldwide USA UK Europe
Yes, I would book and travel during 2021
40%
45%
34%
38%
Yes, I would book and travel during Sep-Dec
38%
33%
43%
39%
Yes, I would book and travel during Jun-Aug
29%
19%
37%
38%
No, I am not planning to travel abroad again for leisure until a vaccine is found
12%
20%
10%
6%
Yes, I would book and travel during the next 15 days
7%
6%
9%
9%
No, I am not planning to travel abroad again for leisure until the economy is back to normal
5%
9%
4%
4%

Assuming there will be no quarantine restrictions, do you plan to travel domestically for leisure again? (Multiple answers) Worldwide USA UK Europe
Yes, I would book and travel during Jun-Aug
47%
40%
50%
56%
Yes, I would book and travel during Sep-Dec
36%
42%
37%
30%
Yes, I would book and travel during 2021
29%
35%
32%
24%
Yes, I would book and travel during the next 15 days
16%
12%
20%
20%
No, I am not planning to travel outside of my city again for leisure until a vaccine is found
6%
11%
7%
3%
No, I am not planning to travel outside of my city again for leisure until the economy is back to normal
3%
4%
2%
3%

Assuming there will be no quarantine restrictions, do you expect to have any business trips in 2020? Worldwide USA UK Europe
Yes, I think I will travel for business at least once in 2020
55%
52%
55%
60%
No, quarantine taught us that online meetings are also efficient
17%
16%
24%
17%
I do not know
28%
32%
21%
23%

What type of vacation will you have between May-September 2020 (included), if any? (Multiple answers) Worldwide USA UK Europe
A road trip in my country
41%
44%
37%
44%
A city break inside my country
30%
34%
27%
31%
A beach/mountain resort
28%
29%
27%
30%
A city break in a different country
23%
14%
30%
30%
A camping trip
16%
24%
14%
13%
I will not travel between May-September
16%
18%
18%
10%
A road trip including other countries
12%
5%
11%
19%

Did your monthly household income change because of the COVID-19 situation? Worldwide USA UK Europe
No, the income was not affected by the pandemic and I don’t expect it to be
43%
40%
43%
45%
No, the income was not affected by the pandemic yet, but I think it might be in the future
14%
15%
12%
14%
Yes, it dropped by 0-25%
20%
19%
23%
19%
Yes, it dropped by 25-50%
11%
11%
11%
11%
Yes, it dropped by 50-75%
6%
6%
4%
7%
Yes, it dropped by more than 75%
6%
9%
7%
4%

Did your 2020 travel budget change because of the COVID-19 situation? Worldwide USA UK Europe
No, I don`t think I will reduce my travel budget for this year
38%
34%
40%
42%
Yes, I will probably reduce my travel budget by 0-20%
17%
18%
15%
18%
Yes, I will probably reduce my travel budget by 20-40%
14%
12%
17%
14%
Yes, I will probably reduce my travel budget by 40-60%
14%
19%
11%
13%
Yes, I will probably reduce my travel budget by more than 60%
16%
17%
17%
13%

*The survey was filled through online forms by +1600 people worldwide between May 10-14, 2020.
**For updated COVID-19 information you can check the official WHO data.

Check out the April survey report.
Check out the March survey report.
Read this article about coronavirus precautions and practical information to follow in the biggest cities.