GO Group survey predicts increase in travel over 2018

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In a recent survey by the GO Group, LLC, a provider of ground transportation at more than 90 airports globally, nearly 30 percent of travelers are planning more business trips in 2018, and an even higher number trips of leisure.

In the survey, which gathered the opinions of more than 230 people, 27 percent of respondents said they would travel more for business in 2018 than in 2017, while 33 percent said they would travel more for leisure. Of the rest, 27 percent and 33 percent said they would travel the same amount for business and leisure, respectively, while 39 percent said they were unsure of business travel plans and 30 percent regarding leisure.

“Based on the statistics, the potential increase in business and leisure travel should have a huge impact on airlines, hotels and related industries,” John McCarthy, president of The GO Group, said. “The travel and tourism industry creates jobs and generates global prosperity so this is really positive news.”

Back in 2016, only 15 percent said they would be traveling more frequently for business, and 21 percent for leisure. The World Travel and Tourism Council noted the total contribution of travel and tourism resulted in 8.1 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product then.

In 2017, 6 percent said they planned on traveling less for business, while 5 percent said they were planning on traveling less for leisure.