Media Availability: US Travel Data, Summer 2020 vs. 2019

LOS ANGELES / AGILITYPR.NEWS / September 25, 2020 / Summer is officially over and fall has crept in nicely to many different US locations. But what did summer travel look like as the US dealt with the pandemic?

According to UberMedia, a mobile location data and analytics company, Glacier National Park saw a massive increase in out-of-state visitors this summer, but due to stricter regulations, the average visit spanned only 12 hours in 2020, compared to 27 hours in 2019. And overall, US park visitation seems to be back up to the same levels it was during the winter – even though summer visitation should far outpace winter visitation. 

These insights were presented during a "Summer 2020 vs. 2019" travel webinar yesterday where highlights included points on travel to urban downtown areas, hotel occupancy trends in places like the Outer Banks and more. 

Here's the recording of the video presentation (slides start around 1:50, total audio is 28 minutes) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aBxIpxHV9Xe44WOnDNQhsnEIrrDu3-q8/view?usp=sharing

Here are a few more highlights discussed during the call: 

• Visitation to urban environments is still down from pre-pandemic .
• Boston is down 64.3% since foot traffic levels in January
• Los Angeles down over 73.5% on average since January
• Due to strict regulation, out of state visitation to Yosemite dropped 45% and visitors spent 3 hours less on average within the park.
• This contrast with Yellowstone which saw a 7% increase in out of state visitation and an average increase of 5 hours per visit, meaning the average visitor spent 18.7 hours in Yellowstone in 2020 vs 13.7 hours in 2019
• Glacier National Park saw a massive increase in out of state visitors of 60% year over year, however, due to stricter regulation, the average visit spanned only 12 hours in 2020, compared to 27 hours in 2019.
• Both Laguna Beach and Outer Banks NC saw increase in occupancy for hotels and airbnbs
• Median household income of Airbnb guests in Outer Banks grew 11%, while in Laguna Beach it grew 13%, year over year, painting a picture that more affluent people are traveling domestically during a time they may have originally gone abroad

Thank you for your time, and please let us know if you have any questions or would like to connect!

UberMedia is a provider of the highest-quality mobile data solutions and trusted partner for businesses around the world. Recognized as a pioneer in targeted mobile location intelligence, UberMedia was listed as Fast Company’s “50 Most Innovative Companies,” The Wall Street Journal’s Top “50 Startups,” Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America,” and as one of Ad Age’s “Best Places to Work.” 

Connect with and contact Kathy Grannis to speak with Gladys Kong and/or receive more information and data insights, kathy@salientmg.com.