And now for a bit of good news – intent to travel has finally recorded an uptick!

There has been a remarkably strong correlation between the number of new COVID-19 cases reported each week and ongoing consumer intent to travel ever since the pandemic began. That is, as more new cases were reported, consumer intent to travel has steadily declined. This inverse relationship has held true for months. So, as the number of new COVID cases finally began to decline in recent weeks, it was unsurprising that consumer intent to travel and visit attractions also finally began to rebound.

In this wave of The Call of the Consumer research, 31% of consumers indicated they would probably/definitely travel this year, up a significant 11 points from the 20% reported in early August when travel intent had bottomed out.


Of the nearly 20% who have already ventured out to travel or visit attractions, satisfaction and feelings of safety are growing stronger. H2R’s COVID-19 Confidence Index has increased this wave to 44.7, up considerably from two weeks ago when it stood at 26.0. It is clear that in order to continue boosting confidence in the travel landscape, the nation must continue taking all necessary efforts to keep further outbreaks at bay. The data suggests that recovery from the health crisis will likely go hand-in-hand with recovery for the travel & tourism industry.


Few would argue that 2020 has been anything short of unpredictable. And, aside from an uptick in intent to travel, consumer attitudes toward the pandemic continue to be gloomy. This week’s data shows that consumers are most concerned with how the pandemic affects the economy and their personal health, as well as the impact it may have upon the health of loved ones.

Today, nearly half of consumers now say they are in support of mask mandates in public – which has been a contentious topic throughout the spring and summer. Those most willing to wear masks are also the ones most pessimistic about the future, while those against masking up are the ones most anxious to get back to their old lives.

Most consumers continue to believe that the pandemic will finally come to an end by means of vaccine discovery. Fortunately, the race to discover a vaccine is well underway, and more than half of consumers indicate that if the vaccine were proven safe and effective, they would be likely to receive it.


Another quarter say their odds of getting the vaccine will depend upon the data surrounding it, and fewer than 20% say they do not plan to get the vaccine. Unsurprisingly, those in favor of mask mandates are also the ones considerably more likely to receive the vaccine than anti-maskers.

Despite some lingering pessimism, one-third of consumers expect consumer confidence to increase in the next 12 months, and they are hopeful that COVID-19 case counts will continue to fall. While we can’t be sure what’s around the next corner, it is nice to finally have some pieces of good news.