PORTLAND, ME--(Marketwire - June 2, 2010) - Northern New England residents feel more confident about traveling this summer compared to 2009 and plan to take more trips, spend more money, and travel with a greater number of people, according to the second annual summer travel poll conducted by AAA Northern New England.
On their first trip of the summer, residents of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont are more likely to be taking trips of eight days or longer (24 percent this year vs. 15 percent in 2009), more likely to visit family and/or friends (65 percent this year vs. 59 percent in 2009), and more likely to be traveling with at least two other people (43 percent this year vs. 38 percent in 2009), according to the survey.
In all, 85 percent of the AAA Northern New England members who participated in the poll said they plan to take at least one overnight trip this summer, slightly higher than the 84 percent who took trips in 2009. Of those traveling this summer, 77 percent plan to drive to their first summer destination, which is unchanged from last year.
Forty-one percent of those polled said they would take three or more trips this summer, compared to 31 percent in 2009.
Thirty-two percent of travelers plan to spend more than $1,000 on their first vacation of the summer, up from 25 percent in 2009.
"We are seeing more members booking more vacations in the offices, but they continue to be more budget-minded and value-seeking than prior to the recession," said AAA Northern New England spokesperson Pat Moody. "Family reunions and big family trips are making a comeback."
The top method cited by survey takers for saving money this summer on travel and other entertainment was searching for specials and discounts (43 percent), followed by choosing less expensive entertainment options (34 percent), staying closer to home (34 percent), spending more time with family and friends (30 percent) and spending more time at home (26 percent).* The top method among those polled for seeking out discounts for vacation trips was looking in local area guides and magazines (74 percent), followed by using coupons (61 percent), and using AAA discount tools such as the AAA.com website, AAA Northern New England Journey magazine, or the AAA Discounts iPhone app (55 percent).*
"This survey revealed that 72 percent of polled travelers seek out coupons or discounts at least sometimes as a factor in deciding which attractions, restaurants, and/or retailers to visit while on vacation," Moody said. "Because of this increased consumer interest, we have seen more visits to the discount portion of our website, and the AAA Discounts free iPhone app is one of the most popular 'lifestyle' apps out there, with more than 814,000 downloads nationwide to date."
Within Northern New England, the top state destination for local travelers is Maine, where 18.3 percent of travelers plan to go on their first vacation of the summer. Top city destinations for the first trip of the summer are Boston (6.9 percent vs. 3.4 percent in 2009) and Cape Cod (5.2 percent vs. 2.7 percent in 2009). Canada is the top foreign destination for the first summer trip, with 8.5 percent planning a vacation there compared to 6.8 percent last summer.
In choosing and planning their trip, 52 percent of those surveyed relied on recommendations from friends and family, followed by 35 percent who looked at AAA Diamond, star or online ratings for hotels, and 25 percent who researched travel guide books such as AAA TourBooks.
The Internet was cited as the top method to choose which attractions, restaurants and/or retailers to visit while on vacation (83 percent), followed by family/friend recommendations (62 percent), guide books (50 percent) and local area magazines at the destination (38 percent).
For all those polled, whether they planned to take a vacation or not, the most popular entertainment activity cited for spending money this summer was dining out and nightlife (72 percent), followed by visiting fairs (42 percent), attending live shows (41 percent), going to the movies (38 percent), pursuing a hobby (36 percent), visiting attractions such as theme parks or zoos (36 percent), doing a family activity like miniature golf or laser tag (35 percent), visiting museums (33 percent), and attending live sports events (31 percent).
The AAA Northern New England summer travel survey was conducted online from April 27 to May 3 by the AAA Northern New England Marketing Research Department, and was taken by nearly 300 members in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, as well as a total of 2,300 AAA members around the country. It has a margin of error of +/- 5.6 percent.
*This was the first year this question was asked in the summer travel poll, so there are no comparisons available for 2009.
Contact Information:
Contact:
Pat Moody
(207) 780-6919