CHICAGO, Dec. 7, 2015 – While travel in general is expected to increase in 2016, according to a recent survey, projections by both leisure and business travelers were lower after the November 13 attacks on Paris than before. Some 1190 people responded to the survey conducted by The GO Group, LLC., an international ground transportation provider and GO Airport Express, which provides airport shuttles to and from O’Hare International Airport and Midway Airport.
The e-mailed survey was conducted from November 1 – 23, 2015.
Overall, 34 percent of respondents stated they plan on more leisure travel and 24 percent more business travel compared to 2015. However, before Nov. 13, 39 percent said they planned on traveling more for leisure; this number dropped to 35 percent afterwards. Twenty-eight percent planned on traveling more for business in 2016 before the Paris attacks; after, just 25 percent said they planned on traveling more.
Thirty percent of respondents noted they planned on traveling the same during 2016 as they did during 2015 for leisure prior to Nov.13; that number changed to 38 percent. For business, the percentage remained at 30 percent.
The biggest changes were in the percentage of people who weren’t sure about travel in 2016. Before the Paris attacks, 16 and 26 percent were unsure of leisure and business travel, respectively. Afterwards, 21 and 29 percent were unsure.
“The vast majority of business and leisure travelers seem unaffected by the threats posed by terrorists, which is good news for the airlines and the hospitality industry,” says John McCarthy, president of GO Airport Express and The GO Group. “The US tourism and travel industry makes up a large part of US GDP and employment and the projected increase is sizable enough to have a significant impact.”
GO Airport Express, one of the oldest companies in Chicago, traces its founding to 1853 and the Parmelee Transportation Company, which provided a carriage service between Chicago’s railroad stations and the downtown hotels. The GO Group LLC is the nation’s largest airport transportation provider, serving some 60 airports in North America, Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe and transporting more than 13 million passengers per year.
Contact: Dyana Flanigan