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65 I L T A N E T . O R G ILTA's Travel Survey Results Seeking to better understand COVID-19's impact on business operations, we've surveyed the ILTAverse 5 times since March 2020. All surveys measured travel restrictions, but subsequent iterations included questions on work from home status, budget impact, return to office plans, and most recently ILTACON attendance. The March 2020 survey captures a moment in time when almost half (45%) of respondents reported their organization had already implemented travel restrictions, while just over half 55% had implemented multiple travel restrictions. One month later, most of the world was under some type of lockdown, and the survey data reflected that with 86% reporting "Work From Home – Mandatory" status. The next few months saw surges and declines in COVID-19 numbers, but there were never enough big changes to warrant a survey until closer to the end of the year following reports of successful clinical trials for vaccinations. The November 2020 survey still asked about travel restrictions and work from home status, but questions were included to find out plans for return to office. While a majority of respondents were still under travel restrictions, only 40% reported "Work From Home – Mandatory" while 49% were Work From Home – Optional with 9% reporting a full return to the office. November found almost 70% did not know when all personnel would return to the office. The February survey did not seem to indicate much change in travel restrictions (only 6% did not have restrictions in place), work from home status, or when most people would be back in the office. The 5th and final survey was done in May 2021 following general availability of a vaccination and early reductions in governmental requirements related to the pandemic. Respondents reported fewer travel restrictions with 12% removing all restrictions on travel, but 65% still planned to keep some type of travel restrictions in place "until further notice." In addition to loosening travel restrictions, many more respondents indicated a return to the office. While 35% were still WFH-Mandatory, 32% were WFH-Optional, and 22% were using a split schedule with "rotating days" being the most common hybrid arrangement. When asked when everyone would be back in the office, almost 22% reported September 2021 with a few comments mentioning Labor Day (USA) specifically. Interestingly, a few mentioned that they predicted their organizations would never return to a completely "In Office" work situation. One area respondents didn't report much change due to COVID-19 was in relation to their budgets. In comparing the 2021 budgets to the 2019 budgets, 30% reported having the same budget, and 37% report having a larger budget than 2019. Only 22% reported having a decrease in their budget compared to 2019. 22% of respondents for the May 2021 survey indicated they were planning to attend ILTACON in-person in Las Vegas, 28% were planning to participate digitally, and 29% were still undecided. For those who were not planning to attend in-person, 18% indicated they may reconsider if organization travel restrictions were lifted, but almost 30% indicated lingering concerns about travel and gathering during a pandemic. We want to thank everyone who responded to ILTA's COVID-19 surveys to gauge impact on business operations. It has proven a valuable resource in ILTA's own operations, and we hope releasing the results will be valuable to all ILTAns. ILTA Tracie McCray Digital Strategist - Brand & Event Operations ILTA

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