IRVING, TX--(Marketwire - June 2, 2010) - Texans will be taking more vacations compared to 2009 and 2008 but are more likely to stay within the state, according to the third annual summer travel poll conducted by AAA Texas.
On their first trip of the summer, Texas residents are more likely to drive to their destinations than during the past two years (67 percent this year vs. 58 percent in 2009 and 56 percent in 2008), more likely to visit a destination in Texas (40 percent this year vs. 35 percent in 2009 and 28 percent in 2008), and more likely to stay three days or less (35 percent this year vs. 30 percent in 2009 and 26 percent in 2008), according to the survey.
In all, 89 percent of the AAA Texas members who participated in the poll said they plan to take at least one overnight trip this summer, slightly less than the 91 percent who took at least one trip in 2009 but slightly more than the 88 percent in 2008 who took at least one summer vacation.
Sixty-seven percent of those polled said they would take two or more trips this summer, up from 63 percent who took that many trips last year and the 62 percent who took two or more summer trips in 2008.
Thirty-three percent of travelers plan to spend less than $500 on their first vacation of the summer, up from 30 percent in 2009 and 27 percent in 2008.
"Travelers who booked trips for this summer have tended to focus more on getting the most value for their money," said Rhonda Wilson, AAA Texas vice president and general manager. "However, right now we are seeing people who are more willing to come in and book more expensive 'dream trips' for the future beyond this summer, which is a signal that they are feeling more optimistic about their economic situations."
The top method cited by survey takers for saving money this summer on travel and other entertainment was searching for specials and discounts (39 percent), staying closer to home (31 percent), choosing less expensive entertainment options (30 percent), spending more time at home (29 percent), and spending more time with family and friends (28 percent).* The top method among those polled for seeking out discounts for vacation trips was looking in local area guides and magazines (73 percent), followed by using coupons (64 percent), and using AAA discount tools such as the AAA.com website, AAA Texas Journey magazine, or the AAA Discounts iPhone app (50 percent).*
"This survey revealed that 76 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," said Denise Bialek, AAA Discounts program manager. "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 Texas, the top local destinations for the first trip of the summer are San Antonio (8.5 percent vs. 3.6 percent in 2009), Austin (4.2 percent vs. 2.7 percent in 2009) and Dallas (3.4 percent vs. 4.3 percent in 2009). The top out-of-state destination is Las Vegas (4.1 percent this year vs. less than 2 percent in 2009).
In choosing and planning their trip, 50 percent of those surveyed relied on recommendations from friends and family, followed by 45 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 (55 percent), guide books (47 percent) and local area magazines at the destination (40 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 (71 percent), followed by going to the movies (51 percent), visiting attractions (43 percent), attending live shows (39 percent), visiting museums (38 percent), pursuing a hobby (38 percent), attending live sports events (28 percent), and doing a family activity like miniature golf or laser tag (23 percent).*
The AAA Texas summer travel survey was conducted online from April 27 to May 3 by the AAA Texas Marketing Research Department, and was taken by more than 300 members in the state and a total of 2,300 AAA members around the country. It has a margin of error of +/- 5.1 percent.
*This was the first year this question was asked in the summer travel poll, so there are no comparisons available for 2008 and 2009.
Contact Information:
Contact:
Dan Ronan
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Marie Montgomery
(714) 885-2333