Grandma Can Rest Easy: Holiday Travelers Won’t be Deterred
12 Oktober 2009 - 3:00PM
Business Wire
Despite a challenging economy and concerns over the H1N1 flu,
Americans’ plans to visit family and friends this holiday season
have not been diminished. Holiday travelers predict they’ll be out
in numbers that rival last year’s exodus and are taking advantage
of travel deals and other dollar stretchers in order to make
holiday dreams a reality. That’s according to a new survey released
today by the world’s largest travel insurance and travel assistance
company, Mondial Assistance. The survey, conducted by Ipsos Public
Affairs, found that six in ten (61%) respondents say they remain
confident they will take a holiday trip this year, with a “trip”
being defined as spending at least one night away from home.
Despite financial challenges and a near barrage of information
about H1N1, the proportion of Americans planning to travel this
holiday season is up slightly from the number who reported they
took a trip last year, when 59% reported spending at least one
night away from home during the 2008 holidays.
Waving off the attention that has been placed on the H1N1 flu
virus, almost all (94%) Americans surveyed said that they will not
change their holiday travel plans due to concerns about H1N1. Just
5 percent have changed their plans as a result of the so-called
“swine flu.”
“It’s encouraging to see that holiday travel in 2009 will remain
even with or slightly above last year,” said Daniel Durazo,
director of external communications for Mondial Assistance. “In
fact, the survey results give some indication that Americans are
going to take advantage of lower prices for travel and
accommodations and invest a little more in their holiday travel
compared to last year. That’s a trend we’d like to see continue
into 2010.”
That travel appears to be holding steady is likely a function of
the fact that six in ten (61%) Americans say taking an annual
holiday trip is important to them. In fact, among those who say
it’s important, eight in ten (78%) are confident they’ll take a
holiday trip, meaning that only 22 percent of Americans who say
holiday travel is important will likely face the prospect of not
taking a trip.
When asked whether they are changing their holidays plans
compared to previous years due to the economy, six in ten (58%)
said they are not changing their plans for that reason. Those who
say they have changed their plans due to the economy are still
confident they will take some sort of trip this year, suggesting
that of those changing their plans, many are taking advantage of
low-priced travel deals or otherwise finding ways to save money,
instead of canceling their trips altogether.
Holiday Travel By Key Demographics…
Some key demographic results produced in this survey
include:
- Age: While six in ten (61%)
remain confident that they will take a holiday vacation this year,
the results differ by age. Six in ten (58%) of 18-34 year olds plan
to travel this year, as do nearly six in ten (55%) of those age 55
and above. The figure is higher among 35-54 year olds, where seven
in ten (68%) plan to travel this holiday season.
- Income: Eight in ten (81%) of
those making $50k or more a year plan to get away, compared with
six in ten (62%) of those earning between $25 and $50k. Less than
half (44%) of those making less than $25k plan to travel this
year.
- Education: Eight in ten (83%)
respondents with a college degree or more are confident that they
will take a trip this year, while only seven in ten (67%) with some
college say the same. Less than half (47%) of those with high
school or less are confident about their prospects of holiday
vacationing this year.
- Employment: Three quarters of
those employed full-time (73%) plan to get away during the holidays
and seven in ten (69%) part-time employees say the same. Just over
half (53%) of retirees are planning a trip though, and only four in
ten (43%) of those who aren’t working think they’ll be able to take
a vacation at some point this holiday season.
- Marriage: Married couples (66%)
are more confident that they will take a trip this season than all
others (55%).
These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted
September 17 – 20, 2009. For the survey, a nationally
representative sample of 1000 randomly-selected adults aged 18 and
over residing in the U.S. interviewed by telephone via Ipsos’ U.S.
Telephone Express omnibus. With a sample of this size, the results
are considered accurate within ±3.1 percentage points, 19 times out
of 20, of what they would have been had the entire population of
adults in the U.S. been polled. The margin of error will be larger
within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey
population. These data were weighted to ensure the sample's
regional and age/gender composition reflects that of the actual
U.S. population according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Mondial Assistance is a global leader in specialty
insurance and emergency assistance services. Four percent of the
world’s population, or about 250 million people, are served by
Mondial Assistance businesses around the globe. In the United
States, Mondial Assistance is the trade name of World Access
Service Corp., which is best known for its Access America® brand of
travel insurance and assistance services. As one of 29 business
units, the U.S. operation serves major travel suppliers, health
insurers, credit card, and entertainment companies with insurance
products, international travel assistance, and concierge services.
Mondial Assistance is part of the Allianz group of companies. For
more information please visit: www.mondialUSA.com.
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