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PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
TBR SURVEY SHOWS TRAVELER CONFIDENCE STILL SHAKY; TRAVEL
INDUSTRY REBOUND NOT LIKELY TO OCCUR SOON
Follow-up poll finds that one in five travelers still
uncertain about their holiday plans
WASHINGTON, D.C. - October 31, 2001 -- More than a
month of steep price-cutting by the travel industry and the
efforts of public officials to encourage travel and tourism
have begun making inroads with the public, but a core group
of travelers still remains reluctant and does not see their
business or leisure travel patterns resuming to previous levels
for six months or more, according to a new nationwide survey
by the Travel Business Roundtable (TBR).
The October 24-25 survey results released today are in follow-up
to a previous TBR nationwide poll conducted the first week
of October. The opinion research was done with a random sample
of Americans identified as travelers who had taken at least
one airline trip or spent one night in a hotel during the
previous 6 months. While the new data shows some positive
signs that Americans are trying to resume their previous travel
and entertainment patterns, there is evidence that suggests
that the travel downturn will remain.
Seventeen percent of all travelers say they are traveling
less than before September 11, and that number is unchanged
from the earlier TBR survey. Not coincidently, most airlines
have reduced capacity by 15-20 percent and hotel occupancy
rates are still about 20 percent below normal, suggesting
that the survey’s findings are bearing out in the marketplace.
According to a recent report by the World Travel and Tourism
Council, a 10 percent drop in demand for travel in the U.S.
results in the elimination of 1.1 million travel and tourism
jobs.
The TBR survey’s findings also include:
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15 percent of travelers say their travel patterns are
either “well below normal” or “just beginning
to get back to normal.” |
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One in five (19 percent) of travelers still have not
decided about travel plans for Thanksgiving or Christmas. |
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More than one in 10 (12 percent) of respondents say
they will discourage friends or family from traveling
during the upcoming holidays. |
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13 percent of leisure travelers have either cancelled,
put on hold or are still uncertain about whether they
will take an upcoming scheduled trip. |
|
33 percent say that their entertainment, restaurant
and shopping activity is not back to normal. |
|
30 percent of all travelers still say that new aviation
security measures are insufficient. |
“Despite the best efforts by the travel and tourism
industry and government officials to get people traveling
again, it is clear that it will be some time before business
and leisure travelers resume their normal habits,” said
Jonathan Tisch, chairman of TBR and chairman and CEO of Loews
Hotels. “We view the economic stimulus package now under
consideration by the Senate as an opportunity to supplement
the ongoing efforts of private industry and help millions
of Americans whose jobs have been impacted by September 11.”
TBR is urging the U.S. Senate to adopt a package of tax relief
and other initiatives designed to stimulate economic growth,
help workers, and give businesses and individuals more incentives
to travel. Along those lines, 67 percent of leisure travelers
support tax credits or deductions to encourage travel and
tourism and 61 percent of all travelers support such legislation.
A recent economic stimulus package passed by the U.S. House
of Representatives does little to encourage travel.
“The devastation that our economy has experienced since
September 11 has been felt across the country, but the travel
and tourism industry was most immediately and directly impacted
by these horrible events, cascading from large corporations
down to small businesses, including motel operators, shop
and restaurant owners, travel agents and taxi drivers,”
said Tisch. “The travel industry has responded to the
downturn with across-the-board discounts on air, train and
bus fares, hotel rooms, cruise packages, and restaurant prices.
While discounting has helped spur spending, bargain prices
and decreased travel will result in traveler expenditures
falling by more than $76.7 billion over the next 16 months,
and direct tax receipts generated by the industry to local
and state governments will fall by billions too.”
Among the TBR survey’s other results:
|
More business and leisure trips are being taken, with
a 50 percent increase from the previous survey in the
number of travelers who said they had taken an overnight
trip over the past two weeks. |
|
Only one out of 20 trips is being cancelled now, versus
the earlier poll that found that one of out every 10 trips
was being cancelled. |
|
25 percent more business trips involve air travel than
the October 2-3 poll results. |
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Travel purchase patterns may be changing dramatically.
Traditionally, travel agents have booked 80 percent of
travel, but the survey found that only 29 percent of travelers
say they most often book through a travel agent, while,
28 percent say they book via the telephone directly with
the airline, train or hotel, 21 percent use the travel
companies’ internet websites, and 18 percent use
online travel agencies. |
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The communications task for government and industry
remains: More than four-in-ten (43%) would like “to
hear a lot more” from the travel industry about the
steps it is taking to enhance travel safety and nearly
five in ten (49%) would like “to hear a lot more
from government about those issues. On the flip side,
only 44% have heard enough from the travel industry and
39% have heard enough from government to deem that travel
is safe. |
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News media coverage of aviation security issues contributes
to traveler anxiety; almost half of all respondents (47
percent) strongly agreed with the statement “news
media coverage of safety lapses only highlights the deficiencies
and gives terrorists a roadmap to bypass the security
system,” while only 22 percent strongly agreed that
media scrutiny “helps to make the aviation system
safer.” |
The TBR survey was conducted by Penn, Schoen, Berland and
Associates and Burson-Marsteller on October 24 and 25. The
survey had a sample size of 415 respondents (margin-of-error
+/- 4.9 percent). The sample was broken in equivalent groups
of business and leisure travelers. This is the second wave
of the survey that seeks to track changing traveler attitudes
in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks. The first wave,
conducted three weeks ago on October 2 and 3, had a sample
size of 800 respondents. The Travel Business Roundtable is
a CEO-based organization representing all sectors of the travel
and tourism industry, including major airlines, hotels and
lodging, restaurants, retail outlets, travel management companies,
car rental companies, financial services institutions and
others. The roster of members reflects the interdependence
of all sectors of the travel and tourism industry and demonstrates
the need to work collaboratively, especially during these
challenging times.
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Editor’s Note: Additional survey data can be
found on TBR’s website at www.tbr.org
Media Contacts:
Matt Triaca - 202/530-4690 Jeffery Stewart - 212/521-2816
Debra Kelman - 212-794-DKPR (3577)
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