A record 41.5% of people in the United States have no plans for leisure travel for the rest of 2020 as coronavirus infections increase in certain parts of the country, according to Destination Analyst, a travel and tourism market research firm.
This figure is more than double of the roughly 15% of people who had no plans for vacation travel for the rest of the year in March, when the pandemic hit the U.S. and states began to shut down their economies.
Since March, the firm has surveyed respondents about their feelings on whether it is safe to travel. Concerns peaked in mid-April, with 72.3% of respondents saying it was unsafe to travel. That figure eased to 53.2% in early June as infection cases dwindled.
However, as infections rise in states such as Colorado, Montana, California, Florida, and Texas, as well as the District of Columbia, which are popular vacation destinations, worries about travel have increased, with 60.3% of respondents now saying that it is unsafe to travel in a poll conducted from Friday to Sunday.
Beyond the virus ruining people’s sense of safety, it has also curbed their expectations about whether a vacation is worth even taking. The majority of respondents (76.9%) said that having fun was the primary reason for taking a vacation. That figure is reduced as 49.2% of those respondents believe the virus will make having fun especially difficult or impossible.
The survey also found that escaping stress is problematic while taking a vacation during the pandemic. Of the 63% of respondents who take a holiday to reduce stress, 45.1% say that the coronavirus makes achieving that goal either especially difficult or impossible.
The virus has made taking a “staycation” popular, with nearly 60% of respondents remaining at home during their time away from work. However, the number who feels safe enough to venture out into their communities has recently dwindled, from 42.1% on June 19 to 34.2% now.
