IMG Says 71% of U.S. International Travelers Are Planning to Travel Abroad in 2021

• IMG’s Future of Travel Survey collected responses from their U.S. members with past international travel experience (42% of respondents reported 3+ international trips per year)
• Survey results reveal travel insights such as willingness to travel internationally, importance of safety precautions, and motivating factors to travel again

INDIANAPOLIS – April 16, 2021 -- International Medical Group® (IMG®), an industry-leading international medical insurance, global assistance, and travel insurance company, released results from its Future of Travel Survey, which gauged U.S. members’ (past international travelers) overall willingness to travel internationally in 2021 as well as their opinions on the importance of safety precautions.  Among several key takeaways and future travel trends, the survey revealed increased confidence towards travel, reporting that 71% plan on traveling internationally in 2021.

“With vaccines becoming more readily available and cities, countries, and businesses continuing to reopen, people are beginning to take their anxiously awaited leisure getaways and planning for even more travel later this year,” said IMG’s Chief Commercial Officer, Amanda Winkle. "The pent-up desire to travel combined with the success of the U.S. vaccination rollout is driving increased booking behavior and IMG is prepared to protect our members’ trip investments and health as they embark on their long-awaited trips.” 

Future of Travel Survey Findings

Travelers are booking their first international and domestic trips of 2021

• Of the 71% of respondents planning to travel internationally in 2021, 49% plan to embark on their first trip abroad before September:
  • Spring of 2021 – 13%
  • Summer of 2021 – 36%
  • Fall of 2021 – 32%
  • Winter of 2021 – 14%
• 88% of respondents are planning to travel domestically this year
  • 44% are planning on taking 3+ domestic trips

COVID-19 vaccine rollout is key motivating factor to jump-start international travel

• As we pass the one-year anniversary of the global pandemic, 86% of respondents said COVID-19 affected their willingness to travel
  • 57% said COVID-19 had a major effect on their willingness to travel
• According to respondents, key motivating factors that will drive travel include:
• Receiving the vaccine​ (69%)
• Flexible cancellation policies​ (64%)
• Low fares​ (57%)
  
• The majority of respondents (59%) said they are more likely to travel to destinations that require a COVID-19 vaccine

As international and domestic travel resumes, safety precautions will be top of mind for travelers

• Survey respondents ranked the precautions below based on importance to them regarding their own safety:​
  1. Required masks​
  2. Required proof of COVID-19 vaccine​
  3. Social distancing​
  4. Required proof of negative COVID-19 test​
  5. Capacity limits​
  6. Extra cleaning measures​
  7. Touchless travel​
  8. Temperature screenings​
  9. Required quarantine period

Travel insurance will be a hot commodity as travel bookings increase

• 52% of respondents said they are more likely to purchase a travel protection or travel medical insurance plan for their next trip

“For years now, travel medical insurance has been a must-have for international travelers to protect themselves from unexpected accidents or illnesses. The events of the past year have further shown the importance of having proper coverage when away from home,” said Winkle. “Now, as travelers begin taking and booking their first trips since the pandemic, travel protection plans should absolutely be a consideration; not only to insure nonrefundable trip costs should their ability to travel change prior to departing for their trip, but also for protection against events that could cause trip interruption.”

Travelers can learn more about IMG’s travel medical insurance and travel protection plans at www.imglobal.com.

About International Medical Group® (IMG®):
Since 1990, International Medical Group, headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.A., has provided global insurance benefits and assistance services to millions of members in almost every country. We are committed to being there for our members to provide them with Global Peace of Mind®. Our full-service approach includes 24/7 worldwide assistance, medical management services, and highly trained, multilingual customer service professionals. IMG delivers the insurance products and assistance services members need, backed by the services they want. IMG's global family of companies includes AkesoCare Management®, Global Response Ltd., and ALC Health.