Visit Anaheim Survey Reveals How Orange County Residents’ Travel Habits Are Changing in the Wake of COVID-19
Fifty-Two Percent Believe COVID-19 has Permanently Changed the Way They Travel; Forty-Nine Percent of Those Surveyed Plan to Take a Staycation this Summer
ANAHEIM, Calif. (July 28, 2020) ― Visit Anaheim, the official destination organization for Anaheim, today released new research revealing how Orange County residents’ travel habits are changing in the wake of COVID-19. The survey of 1,300 Orange County residents found 52 percent believe the pandemic has permanently changed the way they travel. Fortunately for the local tourism and hospitality industry, some of those changes include an increased desire in local tourism with 49 percent planning to take a staycation this summer.
As Orange County businesses continue to safely reopen, this new data suggests the community will be a key customer in helping the local tourism industry get back on its feet. In terms of what locals have planned for their staycations, 53 percent will most likely be traveling with their immediate family and 52 percent want to eat at their favorite local restaurant.
“We look forward to welcoming the community into Anaheim’s restaurants, breweries and hotels because we know their business will support our partners on their road to recovery,” said Jay Burress, president & CEO, Visit Anaheim. “When locals are ready to start safely venturing out again, Anaheim will be waiting. It’s the perfect place to leave your busy lifestyle at home and focus on building family memories that last a lifetime.”
This new research also explored pinpointing when Orange County’s 3.1 million residents may be comfortable traveling again. According to the survey, it will be about six months before locals are comfortable traveling out of California. Meaning out-of-state travel plans for most Orange County residents will likely be pushed to 2021 at the earliest. It was also revealed that it will likely be almost nine months before locals are comfortable leaving the country.
WHY ARE RESPONDENTS PRIORITIZING LOCAL TRAVEL?
| 1. | Don't want to fly, due to worries about COVID-19 | 68% |
| 2. | Worried about traveling to states that aren't taking proper precautions | 53% |
| 3. | Worried places will close down again; therefore want to be close to home | 30% |
| 4. | Haven't been able to spend stime at my favorite local places recently | 27% |
| 5. | Lack of finances is limiting where I can travel | 22% |
To learn more about Visit Anaheim’s efforts to ensure the city recovers quickly and is best positioned to restore hotel stays, meetings, and conventions in Anaheim go to
visitanaheim.org/response-and-recovery.
Visit Anaheim Contact:
Lindsay Swanson, Communications Manager
lswanson@visitanaheim.org
(714) 765-2928
About Visit Anaheim: Founded in 1961, Visit Anaheim is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit destination marketing organization. Visit Anaheim’s mission is to develop, market, and sell Anaheim to benefit the economic vitality of its neighborhoods. To learn more about Visit Anaheim, visit: www.visitanaheim.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
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