Recent Events’ Impact on International Travel Plans
In the U.S. and nearly all other countries surveyed in April-May 2017, adults who say they are less likely to travel to an average international destination because of recent events outnumber those who say they are more likely to do so.
More than one third of global consumers surveyed (36%) say recent events they saw or heard in the news have made them less likely to travel to the U.S. while 15% say recent events have made them more likely to do so: a negative net impact of 21 points. Recent events are having a net-negative effect on plans to travel to the U.S. among potential visitors from every country surveyed with the exception of China and India. Countries with the largest proportion of adults saying they are less likely to travel to the U.S. relative to those who are more likely do so (negative impact of 30 points or more) are: Hungary, Argentina, Belgium, Germany, Russia, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico.
Yet, the U.S. fares relatively better than most of the other destination countries evaluated in the study. Potential travel destinations showing the most negative net impact among global consumers are: Turkey, South Korea, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Russia. Those with the least negative net impact among global consumers are: Canada, Italy, Australia, Spain, Sweden, and Germany.
Canada enjoys a net-positive or neutral impact among consumers from ten countries: China, India, Sweden, Italy, South Africa, Germany, the U.S., Australia, Great Britain and South Korea.
Three in ten Americans (31%) are less likely to travel to an average international destination while 12% are more likely to do so. Among all destination countries evaluated, the only two not showing a negative net impact among potential U.S. travelers are Canada and Australia. Destination countries with the most negative net impact among U.S. adults are Russia, Turkey and South Korea.
Canadians also show a great deal of reluctance to travel abroad because of recent events with 31% less likely to do so vs. 6% more likely. Among Canadians, every single one of the destination countries evaluated shows a negative net impact of at least 10 points – the lowest being for Italy, Japan, Sweden, and Australia.
Recent events are having the most net-negative impact on international travel plans among adults from across Latin America and Hungary and the least among those from India and China.
Global consumers' travel plans to 30 destination countries
- For every one of the 30 destination countries evaluated, global consumers (average of the 25 countries surveyed) who say they are less likely to travel there because of recent events outnumber those who are more likely to do so.
- Countries with the most negative net impact are: Turkey (-43), South Korea (-40), Israel (-39), Saudi Arabia (-39), and Russia (-34).
- Countries with the least negative net impact are: Canada (-11), Italy (-12), Australia (-14), Spain (-16), Sweden (-16), and Germany (-17).
