Resilience Underscores U.S. Attractions Industry Trends for 2022
Attraction Design Firm PGAV Destinations and Research Firm H2R Market Research Publish Insights on American Travel
U.S. attractions’ remarkable rebound of 2021 will continue to play out in force in 2022. As the U.S. attractions industry has been shaped by the third year of the COVID pandemic, one thing is abundantly clear, the attraction industry is amazingly resilient. The results of PGAV’s seventh-annual Voice of the Visitor: Outlook on the Attractions Industry, which tracks Americans’ travel behavior and forecasts future plans, highlights it’s not if, but when recovery is going to happen.
“By nearly all of our key metrics, 2021 performance for the overall attractions industry exceeded our Voice of the Visitor 2021 projections,” said Mike Konzen, CEO, PGAV. “In fact, we heard from so many of our clients that 2021 represented their best year ever on a financial basis.”
Following the 2020 COVID-19 travel bust, overall attraction attendance bounced back to 73% of 2019, slightly outperforming consumers’ own forecast last year. PGAV’s Voice of the Visitor 2022 (VOV 2022) reveals that 2022 performance is expected to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels. Pent up demand, combined with a continuation of strong personal savings, will continue to drive attraction visitation throughout 2022.
VOV 2022 shows that outdoor attractions still top the charts as most visited attraction type. Visitors are getting more comfortable visiting certain types of attractions. Historic Landmarks, National/State Parks, and Zoos/Animal Attractions once again topped the list of attractions visited. Compared to 2020, the average visitor age for adults increased slightly, returning to historical average, signaling that older adults are becoming more comfortable with travel.
Increased per capita spending – one of the surprises of 2021 – will likely continue through 2022 as almost two-thirds of survey respondents indicated they will continue to “splurge.” Visitors are expected to visit an average of 4 attractions in 2022.
VOV 2022 expanded to focus on visitors’ perceptions and experiences with diversity while traveling. Of our respondents, those identifying as people of color made up 33% of attraction visitors in 2021 – a new VOV record. And these respondents showed a strong enthusiasm to visit attractions they have never visited before; when compared with those identifying as non-Hispanic white, people of color visited 6% more attractions in 2021, and were 16% more likely to be first-time visitors. As a whole, 72% said they planned to visit even more attractions in 2022.
All of these results bode well for the industry and reinforces the relevance of attractions and the need to relax and unwind. There is much evidence for optimism. For more insights, a digital edition of PGAV’s Voice of the Visitor is available here. For dozens of additional, free tourism studies by PGAV Destinations, visit our insights page or our PGAV Destinology website. https://www.pgavdestinations.com/Insights.
Methodology
Conducted by H2R Market Research, PGAV’s Voice of the Visitor interviewed 1,500 American respondents who either visited an attraction in 2021 or plan to do so in 2022, providing a margin of error of +/-2.5% at a 95% confidence interval. In addition to the general population sample, an oversample of 400 People of Color (self-identifying as any race other than non-Hispanic white) as collected to provide further insights into this community. These results are reported separately where applicable.
About H2R Market Research
Your customers are talking. Instead of just sharing their experience with friends over coffee, H2R brings their voice to the conference table. When you’re asking, “Where should we expand? Did our ad generate more revenue than it cost? Why are customers choosing our competitor?” H2R reveals the answers.
Our clients make decisions based on insight from rigorous research and the expertise other market research firms envy. And that helps shareholders, owners, and employees all breathe a sigh of relief. We’ve partnered with some amazing companies. Some large, some small. Some local, some national, and some international. So whether your company fits into a category or not, you’ll fit with us. www.H2RMarketResearch.com
About PGAV Destinations
PGAV Destinations is a global leader in the planning and design of unique destinations. Now entering its sixth decade, the practice has evolved to become the ideal destination-consulting partner, skilled at developing growth-oriented master plans and translating those plans into successful projects. No other firm offers such an integrated approach to destination planning.
PGAV Destinations’ key clients include industry leaders such as Delaware North Companies, SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment, the Biltmore Companies, Bass Pro Shops, Ameristar Casinos, Universal Studios, The Gettysburg Foundation, the Saint Louis Zoo, and many others. Recent assignments include planning and design at many of the world’s “must see” destinations, including the Grand Canyon, Biltmore Estate, Space Shuttle Atlantis, Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, the Georgia Aquarium, the Hoover Dam, and SeaWorld Adventure Parks. www.PGAVDestinations.com
