Most Americans don’t expect a return to normal travel until 2022, according to a new Generali survey, which mean smaller numbers will take a summer vacation this year than before COVID-19 hit.

The Generali Global Assistance 2021 Holiday Barometer polled 1,000 Americans, a majority of which agreed that normal travel will return next year, without masks or other COVID-19 restrictions.

Only about 50 percent of respondents said they’d take a summer vacation in 2021, 18 points lower than 2019, before the pandemic hit.

“Given the lingering impacts of the pandemic, it is reassuring that Americans are optimistic for travel normalizing in 2022,” Chris Carnicelli, CEO of Generali Global Assistance, said in prepared remarks. “While numbers are down for this summer, budgets are remaining very close to pre-pandemic numbers and there is an optimism that the future is bright for Americans traveling both domestically and abroad. Americans are increasingly seeing travel as a lifestyle investment as they would other investments like their home are car [and] they are looking to help protect it with insurance.”

Other result highlights:

• 50 percent of respondents said they’d travel during July through September along with summer vacation in the U.S.
• Americans expect to spend $2,319 on average this year for their vacation travel budgets, about 2 percent lower than in 2019.
• Almost half of Americans surveyed said they haven’t decided on a summer destination, but shoe who have are looking at domestic travel over international travel.
• About 37 percent of respondents said they were interested in travel insurance, reflecting an increase, but that number remains behind other markets.
• Americans going overseas are more likely to buy a policy than those traveling domestically.

Generali’s survey was conducted by Europ Assistance and Ipsos in 14 countries between May 5 and May 20^th, involving 1,000 consumers aged 18 and older in each country. Other than the United States, participating countries included the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Portugal, Belgium, Poland, the Czech Republic, China and Thailand.

Source: Generali Global Assistance