COVID-19, nearing its peak, has ended most business travel, at least temporarily. To find out what is going on, ENGINE survey 1,000 adults three different times in March; the latest findings were discovered from March 27-28, 2020.
Note: The results are also weighted to U.S. Census data to be demographically representative.
Here are some critical findings (March 27-28):
- 71 percent have stopped traveling for business.
- 81 percent are avoiding public transportation
In the sample surveyed, 40 percent were directly impacted by event cancellations; 18 percent were affected by flight cancellations.
The results are directly correlated with the ever-evolving COVID-19 crisis: The "big three" U.S. airlines, United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta, have all made additional capacity cuts. In other parts of the world, the situation is worse. In China, 99 percent of business travel is canceled or suspended; In Europe, that number is 96 percent.
These are debilitating numbers, but this is a temporary situation. Meeting planners can utilize this time to prepare for the future. According to PromoLeaf, more and more people are seeking out eco-friendly conferences. The main findings? More than half percent of respondents prefer frequenting conferences with sustainable practices, with over 25 percent strongly preferring such conferences.
Younger business travelers are expressing the strongest concerns. Of those who felt indifferent toward sustainability, nearly half were 55 and older.
For the full report, visit https://enginegroup.com/us/stay-informed/engine-insights-covid-consumer/
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