This year, Americans are ready, willing, and certain that they will travel. The importance of taking an annual vacation is highlighted by the 15th annual Allianz Partners USA’s Vacation Confidence Index*. Americans continue to place a high value on leisure travel time, and more people have already taken vacations this year than at any other time in the survey’s history.
According to the most recent survey from the travel insurance and assistance provider, 62% of Americans have travelled recently, up five points from the previous year and up from 48% in pre-pandemic 2019.
A quarter of respondents (25%) said they were travelling for retribution, and two in five (41%) Americans said they had extra money saved up for travel. This number rises to half (51%) for households with incomes of $100,000 or more, but both overall figures show statistical declines year over year.
In order to make up for any lost travel time, many Americans were successful, as 23% of respondents said they had already taken a vacation in the three months prior to the survey this year, which is the second-highest number since the study’s inception in 2009. The 18-34 age group continues to lead the way, with these first-to-travel measures tracking somewhat higher than they did last year: 30% of this age group have already travelled this year, compared to 21% of 35-54 year-olds and 19% of 55 year-olds.
Since the pandemic, people have given vacations a newfound importance. According to the Vacation Confidence Index, annual vacations are now ranked higher in importance (74%), and people are more confident (66%) about taking a vacation this year than they were in the past. These record-high scores indicate that people’s attitudes towards vacations are beginning to change.
Who is most assured about going on vacation? With 72% of 18-34-year-olds and 68% of 35-54-year-olds expressing confidence compared to 59% of those 55 and older, households earning over $100,000 are more likely to do so (79% versus 65% and 52%, respectively), as are households earning between $50,000 and $100,000.
Source- Travel daily