Climate change-driven weather risks are reshaping the way US consumers travel – Paradise Post

By Mia Taylor, TravelPulse (TNS)

The increasingly severe weather brought about by global climate change is weighing on the minds of travelers.

In fact, it seems weather risks are playing a greater role in how Americans plan and experience travel, according to a newly released survey from Aon Affinity.

The report found that more than half of Americans (56%) said the potential for bad weather – like hurricanes or blizzards – would make them less likely to book travel to certain destinations. That’s a a seven-percentage point increase since a similar survey was conducted by Aon Affinity in 2019, when the figure came in at 49%.

“We’re seeing a shift in how travelers approach leisure travel as climate risks grow,” Beth Godlin, president of Aon Affinity Travel Practice, said in a statement.

“Our data shows that more than half of Americans, especially women and baby boomers, consider the potential for severe weather more critically than their counterparts when choosing their destinations and determining how and when to safeguard their plans” Godlin added.

The survey, conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of Aon Travel Practice, part of the Affinity Business at Aon, queried more than 2,000 American adults ages 18 and older about their attitudes toward travel and travel insurance.

It covered everything from factors that influence travel destinations and recent experiences with travel disruptions, to how often they have bought coverage and what motivated them.

Here are some of the additional noteworthy takeaways when it comes to how climate change and severe weather is shaping everything from travel experiences to the travel decision-making process:

Four in five Americans (80%) traveled in the past year, and among them, 60% experienced some type of travel disruption.

More than two in five Americans who experienced a travel disruption in the past year (44% vs. 28% in 2019) say it was due to a weather delay.