Thanks to a decline in COVID-19 cases nationwide, travelers have warmed up to the idea of traveling, but now the war in Ukraine threatens to impact travel plans to Europe.
New research from MMGY Global finds that 62% of Americans say that the war in Ukraine — and the possibility of war spreading to nearby countries — is impacting their plans to travel to Europe. This is double the number of Americans currently citing the COVID-19 pandemic as a concern.
Nearly half (47%) of travelers want to wait and see how the situation in Ukraine evolves before making plans to visit Europe this year. Half cite concerns related to experiencing delays or cancellations of flights, trains and cruises, as well as the potential for border closures.
Much like at the height of the Omicron variant, we can’t predict how the situation may escalate, but travelers should feel confident in booking because of the flexible policies most airlines, hotels and OTAs introduced in response to COVID-19.
The most popular destinations respondents wish to visit are Italy, followed by France, the U.K. and Germany.
"Now is the time for travel providers to address this hesitancy around European travel by reminding consumers of flexible cancellation and rebooking policies,” said Clayton Reid, CEO of MMGY Global. “Much like at the height of the Omicron variant, we can’t predict how the situation may escalate, but travelers should feel confident in booking because of the flexible policies most airlines, hotels and OTAs introduced in response to COVID-19. It is also my belief that this hesitancy is short-lived and that prior to the peak travel season to Europe, sentiment will return to much more positive levels.”
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MMGY Global
