• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, June 7, 2021

Consumers seek many things when choosing a travel carrier, from discounts to luxury. But their top concern is safety, according to Ready for Takeoff: 2021 Travel Industry Trends, Insights, and Statistics, a study from Braze, released on Monday.

Of prospective travelers surveyed, 31% cite health and safety as their top factor when choosing a travel company. In contrast, 29% put a priority on cost. 

Their concerns are not about aircraft safety, but about health — can they travel without putting themselves at risk of contracting COVID-19?  

Most consumers plan to get vaccinated, including 86% of Baby boomers, 78% of Generation Xers, 76% of millennials and 74% of Generation Zers. 

But 21% are unwilling to share their vaccination status with a travel company. The highest proportion of those travelers is in the U.S. (28%), followed by EMEA (23% and APAC (16%). 

Of those who would rather not share that information, 55% do not plan to get vaccinated, versus 13% who do. 

In general, 19% are already comfortable traveling, while 16% will be once they are fully vaccinated and 22% will feel comfortable traveling when most people are vaccinated. 

On another front, consumers have clear channel choices — 43% prefer to get updates via email, versus 21% who prefer updates via calls and 16% who like to receive them via texts/direct messages. And brands have been taking note of this. 

A case in point is Getaway, a firm that offers escapes to tiny cabins in nature. Working with Braze Canvas, the firm achieved a 30% increase in repeat customers and generated over $300,000 in revenue with the help of email messages titled “Chicago, It’s time To Wind Down.”

The study notes that while most travel brands send each user one email per month, they might increase frequency as people become more open to traveling again. 

Wakefield Research surveyed 9,500 consumers on behalf of Braze in 13 global markets in April. In addition, the report contains Braze customer data, mobile app data from Apptopia and travel insight data from Skyscanner.