A FEW HIGHLIGHTS:
One-third of respondents vacation annually
in a destination that suffered damage in a
recent natural disaster, primarily Florida.
Of those, 12 percent usually travel to the
same hotel or resort every year. Another 21
percent return to the same destination but
like to stay at different hotels or resorts. In an
open-ended question, the vast majority cited
Florida as their winter vacation destination of
choice (35 percent), followed by California (9
percent), the Caribbean (7 percent) and Texas
(6 percent). All four were hit by major natural
disasters this year.
Two-thirds of those plan to return this winter.
Sixty-five percent of U.S. travelers who take
an annual winter vacation to an impacted
destination will not be swayed from their trip
this year.
What is more, they plan to pitch in with
recovery efforts. Forty percent of those who
are returning to their annual vacation spots
report they will bring extra food, clothing
or medical supplies to donate toward relief
efforts. Another 23 percent will donate
money to the region to help them rebuild, and
21 percent plan to roll up their sleeves and
volunteer while they are there.
Florida vacationers are particularly loyal. As
many as 64 percent of those who routinely
visit Florida have plans to travel there this
winter.
Rebuilding outlook: optimistic, at least in the
U.S. Most respondents expect that impacted
destinations will come back better than ever
(32 percent) or rebuild to the level they were
before (32 percent). Of the remainder, 22
percent believe success of rebuilding efforts
will vary by destination. They anticipate
U.S. regions will recover more fully, with 65
percent projecting a bright outlook for Florida,
followed by Texas (58 percent) and California
112 ILHA
(52 percent). Outside the mainland U.S.,
confidence dips to 19 percent for Mexico,
followed by the U.S. Virgin Islands at 18
percent, Puerto Rico at 17 percent, and the
Dominican Republic at 14 percent.
Still, uncertainty remains. Twenty-nine
percent of respondents are unsure they’ll
return to their favorite spots this year. Five
percent will skip the trip this year and say
it will be a while before they go back. One
percent do not foresee ever returning. Of
those who expressed reservations or responded
negatively, top reasons include concerns
about infrastructure (30 percent), the current
attractiveness of the destination (25 percent),
and that their favorite restaurants, stores and
amusements will not be open (20 percent).
Thirty-two percent plan to visit somewhere
that has not been impacted, while the rest
either are not sure or plan not to travel at all.
Those who will travel anticipate some changes.
The majority of respondents who plan to visit
an impacted area expect to experience fewer
crowds (35 percent), see visible damage (28
percent), and have limited access to their
favorite restaurants and shops (20 percent).
Twenty percent don’t expect to experience any
differences this year.
Travelers are more inclined to insure their
trip. One industry that could well see an
uptick in business in the wake of this year’s
multiple natural disasters is travel insurance,
as 18 percent of respondents report they will
absolutely purchase travel insurance more
often in the future, and another 22 percent
will consider doing so. This is on top of the 14
percent who already do.
People care about the places they have
vacationed. To keep abreast of conditions,
as many as 29 percent of respondents have
signed up to receive notifications from past
vacation spots that have suffered damage.
Another 41 percent frequently check for news.