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COVID-19 Travel Sentiment Monitor – July Report

Since lockdowns were lifted, 37% of European respondents have already taken a domestic trip, while another 17% have traveled internationally. 

While the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to greatly impact travel in Europe and throughout the world, Europeans are venturing out to explore their own countries and even beyond.

According to LuggageHero’s latest Travel Sentiment Monitor, more than three quarters of European respondents still hope to travel abroad this year.  

Other key findings:
1) Only 39% of the Europeans who will need lodging in 2020 say they prefer hotels over short-term rentals, because of hygiene safety factors in regards to COVID-19 infection risk. The other 61% say they trust the ability of short-term rental hosts to ensure proper hygiene.

2) Planned travel budgets for 2020 are shrinking, compared with our Travel Sentiment Monitors in March and May.

Since the pandemic lockdowns started, the short-term luggage storage company LuggageHero has regularly polled travelers in Europe, the United States, and the rest of the world. This current customer survey was conducted July 5-12, 2020, via online forms and ensured gender and age balance. Here are the findings in detail.

Destinations near and far
Since lockdowns were lifted, 37% of European respondents have already taken a domestic trip, while another 17% have traveled internationally. 

More than three quarters of the European respondents (77%) say they still hope to travel abroad this year. Of those, 69% say they will take a trip in a city, while 31% will focus on nature. Another 23% report that they will not travel abroad this year.

When referring only to the short term vs. the rest of the year, 30% said they would not travel abroad for a summer vacation because of the risk of infection. Another 17% said they were not planning to travel abroad anyway during the summer holidays. Almost two thirds of the European participants said they were more optimistic about the possibilities of travel abroad in the fall.

In regards to how the airlines are helping to protect passengers from getting infected, only about a third of respondents (38%) said they are confident about flying. Another 24% reported that even if they don’t feel confident about airplane travel during a pandemic, they will still fly because they have no other options. About a quarter of the European respondents (23%) said they plan to travel in their own cars for extra safety.

Lodging options
Only 39% of the Europeans who will need lodging in 2020 say they prefer hotels over short-term rentals, because of hygiene safety factors in regards to COVID-19 infection risk. The other 61% say they trust the ability of short-term rental hosts to ensure proper hygiene.

No red carpet
Only 39% of Europeans perceive themselves less-welcomed abroad in the upcoming months, due to their countries` response to the pandemic. The British respondents are closer to the worldwide average of 56% who believe they will not be welcomed with the same enthusiasm as in the previous years.

On the other hand, with high COVID numbers in the U.S. and a recommendation from the EU that Americans not travel in Europe, it’s no surprise that 84% of Americans are feeling less-welcomed abroad these days. They fear that hosts might be worried about being exposed to the virus.

Budget shrinkage
Europeans continue to cut their travel budgets. When we asked European travelers in March if they expected to maintain their planned 2020 travel budget, 46% answered yes. In April, and July, those numbers dropped to 36% and 37% respectively. For those who will reduce their budget, the percentage of reduction has gone up, with about one third saying they will slash their travel budget by 40% or more this year.

“We are happy that travelers are proceeding with cautious optimism, because it’s the right and safe approach,” said Jannik Lawaetz, CEO and co-founder of LuggageHero. “We are following the same lead, which is why we’ve instituted changes to become a touchless hospitality provider. Reservations are made on our app and customers handle their own tamper-free security seals during the storage process. As always, cancellation is totally free.”

European travelers who wish to remain in Europe for now will still find plenty of storage options in 26 major cities across the continent, Lawaetz said. 

“In fact, if you’re staying close to home, LuggageHero has more than 40 storage drop-off sites in Paris alone,” he added. “We hope to serve you soon.”

News Editor - TravelDailyNews Media Network | + Posts

Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.

She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.

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