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COVID UPDATE CONSUMER FEEDBACK BY DEBORAH WEBSTER, JOSEPH ST. GERMAIN, & PHILLIP DOWNS1
Consumers’ Feelings About Travel During COVID-19 This study charts consumers’ feelings about travel and travel advertising during the COVID-19 pandemic. The tourism industry has not been immune to negative impacts from external influences. Pandemics such as SARS or economic disruptions such as the 2009 global economic crisis have had significant, but relatively temporary, impacts on global and United States tourism. Natural and man-made disasters certainly have negative, yet typically more localized, impacts. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 had an immediate impact on potential visitors’ perceptions of Florida as a destination. Yet, relatively few potential visitors, only 2% to 4%, cancelled trips to Florida during the following 6-month time period because of the oil spill.2 Negative connotations of Florida from Deepwater Horizon as a destination essentially evaporated within 6 months.
To assess consumers’ feelings about travel and travel advertising, The Space Coast Office of Tourism engaged Downs & St. Germain Research to conduct three waves of Consumer Sentiment surveys.5 The goals were to assess consumers’ feelings about traveling and their appetite for travel marketing during COVID-19. The surveys assessed consumers’ reactions to specific advertising graphics and messaging. Unlike other studies that use national data to estimate how consumers to a specific destination feel, this study focused on potential visitors to the Space Coast who live in key feeder markets.6
Trust
Who do consumers trust to tell them whether or not it is safe to travel? While much information emanates from the White House, governors’ offices, and local governments, consumers trust the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) most COVID-19 is a different phenomenon in to give them accurate information. As the the travel world. Certain facts are known: graph below illustrates, trust in the CDC, COVID-19 has accounted for over 850,000 and most other sources, fell from April to deaths;3 it has afflicted over 25 million people June, perhaps as mixed messages about globally;4 there is no viable vaccine; and COVID-19 were disseminated by various treatments are not guaranteed to diminish sources, some reputable, some not. It is the health impacts of the virus. interesting to note that considerably fewer than half of consumers trust all sources of Conversely, there is considerable uncerinformation about COVID-19 except the CDC. tainty regarding COVID-19. Consumers yearn Over time, credibility of social media news to resume their normal lives, yet concern sources approached credibility of traditional about short-term and lasting health effects news sources although both were at or below from COVID-19 impacts all decisions, espe20%. Perhaps reflecting distrust of experts cially travel. Moreover, consumers’ reactions and science, one’s physician is trusted to COVID-19 are not uniform across generaas a COVID-19 source by only one 1 in 3 tions and geography. consumers. VisitSpaceCoast.com
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