Travelers are venturing out again but avoiding planes, international trips -survey

Record ID: 1561128

  • Title: Travelers are venturing out again but avoiding planes, international trips -survey
  • Date: 7th July 2020
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (JULY 2, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PASSENGERS WEARING FACE MASKS AND PROTECTIVE CLOTHING AT LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (LAX)
  • Embargoed: 21st July 2020 17:26
  • Keywords: COVID-19 Oracle airplanes airports coronavirus hotels survey travel
  • Location: LOS ANGELES, BEVERLY HILLS AND ONTARIO, CALIFORNIA, LAS VEGAS, NEVADA AND DALLAS, TEXAS, UNITED STATES
  • City: LOS ANGELES, BEVERLY HILLS AND ONTARIO, CALIFORNIA, LAS VEGAS, NEVADA AND DALLAS, TEXAS, UNITED STATES
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Health/Medicine
  • Reuters ID: LVA003CLT8J7R
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Travelers are hitting the road again and taking vacations even as the coronavirus pandemic shows no signs of abating in many countries, a survey on Tuesday (July 7) showed.
    About 51% of people in North America and Latin America plan to book trips in the next six months, compared with 38% in Asia and Europe, according to the survey by software maker Oracle Corp.
    However, travelers want to stay close to home, preferring to drive and to avoid international trips.
    Due to travel restrictions and lengthy lockdowns in many countries to control the spread of the novel coronavirus, tens of thousands of hotels have closed and occupancy levels have fallen below 20% for weeks, said Alex Alt, general manager of Oracle Hospitality.
    "One thing that's refreshing is that consumers want to travel," he told Reuters. "There is a resilience and an appetite to be on the road, to explore, to experience."
    With U.S. coastal towns a favorite destination, occupancy among 600 U.S. hotels that Oracle tracks has risen for five straight weeks and recently hit its highest levels since mid-March.
    "I'd say the industry largely expects it to continue through the summer months," Alt said. "The key will be for the business travel to come back to complement that leisure travel."
    COVID-19 cases have surged around the United States and the death toll has topped 130,000, prompting the European Union last week to exclude Americans travelers for its "safe" travel list.
    To assuage concerns about infections, 90% of hotels have increased or planned to increase cleaning and disinfecting. In addition, 70% of hotels already are or are planning to adopt contactless technology for check-in, food ordering and concierge services, according to the survey.
    At the Viceroy L'Ermitage, an upmarket boutique in Beverly Hills, guests can use their cellphones to pay at the front desk and operate the television in their rooms, to avoid high-touch surfaces. Face coverings must be worn in all public areas and furniture layout and floor markings in the lobby indicate physical distancing requirements.
    "At end of the day, our biggest concern is the health and safety of our guests and our employees," said Darren Clark, Viceroy's vice president of technology.
    Wynn Las Vegas, a five star resort in the U.S. gambling capital, closed its 4,700 rooms and two casino floors in mid-March. It reopened on June 4 and now mandates face coverings for all staff and guests in public spaces. The casinos have been redesigned to allow for physical distancing, and plexiglass screens have been installed around table games.
    "Our aim is to provide the entertainment and the fun experience that guests are looking for in a safe and a healthy way in the new normal," said Wynn's chief information officer, Rajeev Rai.
    Both Wynn and Viceroy use Oracle software to manage hotel operations.
    Oracle surveyed 4,600 consumers and 1,800 hotel executives in the United States, Mexico, United Kingdom, Germany, Singapore and Australia in mid-April through early May.
    (Production: Alan Devall, Sandra Stojanovic, Jane Ross)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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