Americans More Likely to Travel Following Test Requirement Removal

Immediately following the news that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was lifting the COVID-19 testing requirement, 

MMGY Travel Intelligence fielded a study of U.S. and U.K. travelers to determine if this would impact their intentions to travel. The result? A third of Americans say they are more likely to travel internationally with the testing requirement gone, while more than half of U.K. residents said they are more likely to travel to the U.S. because the testing requirement has been removed.

The American Perspective

Just over one-third of Americans (36 percent) say they are now more likely to travel outside the U.S. within the next six months because the testing requirement has been lifted. That said, one-fifth of those surveyed said they are less likely to travel internationally in the next six months without the testing requirement in place. The remaining 44 percent said the news does not impact their intent to travel internationally at all.

Across the Atlantic

Just over half of British respondents (52 percent) said they are more likely to book a trip to the U.S. in the next six months because the COVID-19 testing requirement has been removed. Eleven percent said the end of the testing requirement would make them less likely to book a trip to the U.S.

The final 37 percent said the news does not affect the likelihood of them booking a trip to the U.S.

Beyond COVID-19

The survey also questioned respondents about non-COVID related concerns. Three in five Americans (59 percent) said the cost of international airfare and lodging will impact their decision to travel, and 47 percent said concerns about their personal safety related to violence and unrest will impact their decision to travel internationally. British respondents were a bit less concerned about costs and safety when traveling to the U.S., but the numbers should still be of concern to travel and tourism brands. Forty-nine percent said the cost of airfare and lodging will impact their decision to travel to America, and 39 percent said their personal safety concerns will impact their decisions.

In general, Americans’ intentions to travel have remained fairly consistent over the last year, though international travel recovery has lagged behind domestic travel. MMGY Travel Intelligence’s 2022 “Portrait of American Travelers Summer Edition” found that 65 percent of U.S. travelers intend to take a leisure trip in the next six months. The survey polled 774 Americans and 436 Britons on June 12, 2022.

Source: MMGY Travel Intelligence