Despite the pandemic risk, the majority of Americans are still planning to travel during the 2020 holiday season. However, many say they are going to hedge their bets from now on by purchasing travel insurance, according to findings from the Generali Global Assistance Holiday/2021 Travel Sentiment Survey.

The study, conducted by Upwave, surveyed 1,138 U.S. travelers between Oct. 26 and Nov. 5, 2020 on their upcoming travel plans and preferences. All of the consumers surveyed indicated they were planning to travel in the next 18 months, with 74 percent planning trips during the upcoming holiday season. Nearly half (48 percent) are likely to purchase travel insurance for their trips in 2020.

Among the study’s findings:

The majority of U.S. travelers are planning to stay domestic for now, with only 22 percent planning to travel internationally for the remainder of 2020 and 23 percent planning such trips for 2021. However, 54 percent of those surveyed indicated they will be comfortable traveling internationally again six months after a vaccine is available for COVID-19.

Despite the risks, more than half (57 percent) of respondents are planning to fly to their destination in 2020.

The pandemic has also significantly impacted the average consumers’ decision to purchase travel insurance—58 percent of those surveyed said they were more likely to purchase travel insurance for all trips going forward. The three key factors for those purchasing travel insurance were price (cited by 33 percent), plan coverage (19 percent), and online ratings and reviews (13 percent).

Source: Generali Global Assistance