Report shows group travel increased in March

ANYONE WORRIED ABOUT whether group travel will return soon should be less concerned, according to research firm Knowland. The firm’s report for March found that group meetings volume increased 42.5 percent over last month.

Corporate travel dominated the metric, but several large sports tournaments, home shows, bridal expos and mid-size association events contributed, according to Knowland.

Some other facts from the report include:

• The average number of attendees in March 2021 was 61, compared to 131 in March 2020.
• The average space used by group travel in March 2021 was 2,512 square feet while meetings in March 2020 averaged 2,104 square feet.
• The top five growth markets in March were Austin, Chicago, Nashville, San Antonio and San Diego.
• Corporate meetings produced most of the activity accounting for 60.7 percent of total meetings for the month.

“March pace picked up dramatically and growth was realized across primary, secondary and tertiary markets. The number of attendees increased this month—while still only about half the attendees compared to this time last year, it’s a significant increase over the past several months,” said Kristi White, Knowland’s vice president of product management. “Groups are still required to use more meeting space for fewer attendees, and this will likely continue for a while. But the good news is meetings are happening and each month we continue to see additional growth.”