PORTLAND, ME--(Marketwire - November 15, 2010) - Local residents plan to take more trips and spend about the same on their travel, but slightly more on their gift shopping during the November and December holidays compared to 2009, according to a new poll from AAA Northern New England.
The second annual AAA Northern New England Winter Holiday Shopping and Travel Poll revealed that local consumers intend to take more out-of-state trips over the Thanksgiving-Christmas holidays, are more likely to visit family and maintain family traditions of travel, and are more likely to spend at least $500 on holiday gifts than they were in 2009.
Forty-four percent of surveyed Northern New England residents said they plan to take at least one holiday trip this year, compared to 30 percent last year, while 41 percent will definitely not travel -- a 15 percent decline from last year's non-travelers in the survey. When they answered the survey last month, 15 percent were still undecided about taking a holiday getaway compared to 14 percent who were undecided last year.
Among those planning to take a trip, 51 percent said they plan to spend at least $500 on the getaway, compared to 49 percent of travelers in 2009.
"While consumers are still feeling the effects of the recession in many areas of discretionary spending, members coming into our branches have been much more willing this year to book formal vacations," said AAA Northern New England spokesman Pat Moody.
The top money-saving methods cited by surveyed Northern New England travelers for their holiday trips were:
- Staying with friends or family instead of in a hotel (48 percent vs. 34 percent in 2009)
- Using an affinity discount program such as AAA to get cheaper hotel rates (35 percent vs. 21 percent in 2009)
- Driving rather than flying to their destinations (34 percent vs. 17 percent in 2009)
During holiday shopping, 59 percent of surveyed Northern New England consumers said they plan to spend at least $500 on gifts, compared to 54 percent last year. But while consumers indicated a greater willingness to shop at retail department stores (67 percent vs. 54 percent in 2009), they are also more likely to be on the lookout for bargains they can receive via affinity programs such as AAA discounts (23 percent vs. 15 percent in 2009).
"We are seeing a shift this year in consumers' holiday savings habits -- just 18 percent said they would shop more at discount stores for the holidays compared to 27 percent last year," Moody said. "But people are increasingly interested in saving money on both travel and shopping when discounts such as AAA are readily available."
Other changes in shopper and traveler habits compared to last year include:
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Shoppers are more likely to buy video game systems (30 percent vs. 23 percent), jewelry (30 percent vs. 25 percent), and cards or flowers (16 percent vs. 12 percent) as holiday gifts
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The biggest holiday gift shopping budget category was between $500 and $1,000 (38 percent vs. 31 percent)
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Holiday travelers are more likely to include a visit to their family on their trip (70 percent vs. 62 percent) and to travel in order to maintain a family holiday tradition (19 percent vs. 14 percent)
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More holiday trips will involve sightseeing (29 percent vs. 25 percent)
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More holiday trips will be to an out-of-state destination (80 percent vs. 68 percent)
The AAA Northern New England Winter Holiday Travel and Shopping Poll was taken online by more than 200 AAA Northern New England members between Oct. 4 and Oct. 19. Polled consumers were also surveyed about identity theft, and those results were released Nov. 4 at http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/As-Holiday-Shopping-Starts-AAA-Northern-New-England-Poll-Shows-Local-Consumers-Need-1346882.htm.
Contact Information:
CONTACT:
Pat Moody
(207) 780-6919