Now this is only 1 couple and is not a scientific study but I wanted to relay a message from my 90 year old dad and his 89 year old girlfriend with substantial disposable income to travel and spend money in a post-COVID USA...but wait a minute.
My dad and his GF are fully vaccinated and live in a COVID free independent living condo gated community in Sarasota FL. Sadly due to low vaccination rates COVID is surging in Sarasota area and my dad is afraid to leave the gated community that does not let in anyone unless they are fully vaccinated, including workers and guests.
He was going to come to the NJ area to visit us and his friends for about 20 days and spend around $10,000 on lodging, food and entertainment, not to mention the Amtrack Autotrain. Now all of this spending is on hold and perhaps indefinitely.
Now I told my dad that one of the safest places to be right now is in Northern NJ where we have very high vaccination rates and very low transmission rates, the problem is getting here safely.
I have used my dad’s spending in the past as a proxy for other high disposable income spending individuals who have choices to spend or stay home and it is usually pretty accurate...so buckle up I think we are in for a bumpy ride...peace