Lockdowns at the start of the 2020s may have slowed down holiday celebrations, but it looks like they will be back with force this year. In fact, data released this week by Motel 6 indicates that Americans celebrating winter holidays are going to 10 more gatherings this year on average.
“In its sixth annual holiday travel survey, Motel 6 heard from over 2,000 respondents who celebrate a winter holiday and found that this flurry of festivities is expected to lead to significant travel,” said a press release from G6 Hospitality. “Eighty-four percent of respondents plan to travel to at least one gathering, and of those, over half (52%) expect to take more trips than last year.”
Judging by the survey, the average number of holiday celebrations expected per person is more than 10. People even plan to celebrate the same holiday multiple times. At those parties, many might find real Christmas trees, according to a recent Audacy report.
More people are also expecting to make hotels part of their holiday plans – 65% of survey respondents said they plan to stay at hotels, up 20% compared to last year. Pet inclusion got an even bigger (22%) increase, with 60% of respondents planning to bring pets along on their holiday adventures.
While 66% said they prefer to spend holidays with family, more than half (53%) said they are ready for some time alone around four hours in. Nearly 20% said it took just two hours.
Even as people plan to travel and celebrate more, a vast majority (82%) said the economic climate will impact their holiday season. Inflation has been high for some time and it rose again in September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Federal Reserve Bank has increased interest rates in an effort to bring it down, making it more expensive for Americans to borrow money.
“More than half are hoping to receive experience-based gifts (56%) this year, such as travel, and will be opting for affordable lodging (55%) for their journeys,” said G6 Hospitality.
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