IRVING, TX--(Marketwire - Jun 2, 2011) - Gas prices have been hovering in the minds of Texans as they plan their summer vacations, and nearly 60 percent of those who will travel this summer say they are shifting their budgets in other areas to afford their trips, according to a new poll by AAA Texas.
The AAA Texas third annual Summer Travel Poll shows a jump since the Spring Travel Poll in the number of people indicating that high gas prices are affecting their overall budgets -- from 51 percent in March to 76 percent now. At the same time, however, some consumers' tolerance for higher gas prices could be rising. In the spring, 22 percent of drivers said they would make major changes in the amount of gasoline they used once it reached $3 a gallon, and 25 percent said $3.50 a gallon would cause a major change. In the latest poll, just 9 percent said a $3 gas price had caused them to reduce their gas usage, and 20 percent said $3.50 a gallon was a crucial price point for them.
"The good news for travelers is that gas prices are now on the decline," said Rhonda Wilson, AAA Texas regional vice president and general manager. "We expect that will bring more travelers into the last-minute market if they decided against making summer plans in April or May due to gas price uncertainty. Also, many travel providers are offering promotions to encourage last-minute summer travel since space is still available at several popular vacation destinations."
The percentage of local residents who say they'll possibly or definitely take a vacation this summer has dropped by six percent from the AAA Texas summer 2010 poll. This year, 83 percent say they are considering or will take a summer vacation, compared to 89 percent last year.
Of those who say they will not vacation this summer, 74 percent cited higher gas prices as the main reason.
For those who do plan summer travel, 37 percent say they'll take one trip, 40 percent will take two, 19 percent will take three and four percent will take four or more. Last year, 25 percent took one trip, 37 percent took two, 20 percent took three and 18 percent took four or more.
Most polled summer vacationers (76 percent) plan to take at least one summer trip to another U.S. state, while 43 percent will take at least one trip within Texas. The most popular destination states are California and Louisiana while the most popular Texas destination cities are Houston and Austin.
Fifty-nine percent of those polled this year say they are cutting back on various discretionary budget expenses so they can afford to take at least one summer vacation. The most-cited budget cutbacks included:
- Dining at restaurants (40 percent)
- Buying new clothes or shoes (32 percent)
- Gasoline usage (27 percent)
- Movies or concerts (22 percent)
- New electronics (22 percent)
- Weekend getaways/day trips (20 percent)
More travelers are also using their cell phones to search for discounts they can use on their trip. Twenty-two percent said they now use smartphone discount apps such as the AAA Discounts app for their travel, compared to 11 percent last summer.
Among the 77 percent of Texans who said gas prices have impacted their overall budgets, the vast majority of them (82 percent) say they have cut back on unnecessary driving to cope with the higher prices.
Other highlights from the poll:
- Gas prices also seem to be impacting overall summer activities in addition to travel. Thirty-five percent of surveyed Texans said they will stay closer to home this summer, compared to 31 percent last year, and 33 percent plan to spend more time with family and friends, compared to 28 percent last year.
- Top activities for this year's summer vacations include visiting family (64 percent), sightseeing (56 percent), visiting friends (40 percent), visiting attractions (33 percent), shopping (25 percent), and maintaining a family tradition of traveling during the summer (22 percent).
- 50 percent of summer travelers plan to spend a total of $1,500 or less on all their summer trips.
- For 45 percent of travelers, their longest summer trip will last from four to seven days, and for 29 percent, it will last eight to 14 days.
- For their longest trip of the summer, 45 percent will drive to their destination in their personal vehicle while 42 percent will fly.
- 47 percent of travelers will stay in a hotel on their longest summer trip, and 26 percent will stay with family.
The AAA Texas 2011 Summer Travel Poll was administered by the AAA Texas Marketing & Brand Research Department, taken by 426 AAA Texas members between May 2 and May 16 and has a +/- margin of error of 4.7 percent.
Contact Dan Ronan (469) 221-8217 or Marie Montgomery (714) 885-2333 for a copy of the complete poll results.
Contact Information:
Contacts:
Dan Ronan
(469) 221-8217
Marie Montgomery
(714) 885-2333