Will Summer 2020 Be the Harbinger of Travel Trends to Come?
Emerging from Memorial Day weekend – traditionally the opening act to the summer travel season – there’s been a definitive shift in energy. As all 50 states across the U.S. are in the first phases of reopening their economies and we see people beginning to head outdoors again it’s clear that the pent-up demand for travel is only growing more powerful. From these green shoots of positivity, what can we project in the coming weeks, months and even years?
CEO Clayton Reid turned to the industry’s foremost thought leaders to analyze when we expect to see a travel rebound and how the industry must continually shift its priorities to meet travelers’ needs. Hear from:
Roger Dow – President and CEO, U.S. Travel Association
Dave Johnson – CEO, Aimbridge Hospitality
Brad Smyth – Tourism Director, Travel Texas
Matt Clement – SVP, Marketing, Arrivalist
In this thought-provoking roundtable discussion, experts share their insights on:
- The devastating toll the pandemic has taken on the travel industry and how advocates are rallying the government to make swift and effective changes.
- How this crisis will change the way we experience travel, just as we adopted significant changes to our routines after 9/11.
- As we identified in our first-ever Travel Safety Barometer, travelers continue to feel safest in their own cars – which is impacting marketing budgets and strategies for DMOs, hotel brands and more.
- Our Travel Safety Barometer confirmed that consumer confidence in safety and security will drive decision-making more than any other factor. How can travel brands use this information to instill confidence going forward?
- We’re also seeing some positive sentiment about travel plans with long booking windows – such as cruising and organized tours; so when do industry experts anticipate mid- and long-haul travel to return to pre-crisis levels?
- Because international travel is such an important driver for both leisure and business travel, learn which markets some brands are placing their bets on in the short-term.
Why Our Economic Future Rests on Travel
The impact of COVID-19 on the travel industry is bigger than anything we’ve ever seen before. The numbers, according to Tourism Economics, are staggering: the effects are nine times worse than the aftermath of 9/11 and projected to be worse than the height of the Great Depression. But even in our hardest times, the travel industry represents the greatest potential to drive recovery. Learn how restoring travel could transform the economy in this eye-opening report from U.S. Travel.