BIRMINGHAM, AL--(Marketwire - Jun 2, 2011) - Gas prices have been hovering in the minds of local consumers as they plan their summer vacations, and more than half 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 Alabama.
The AAA Alabama 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 60 percent in March to 78 percent now. At the same time, however, some consumers' tolerance for higher gas prices could be rising. In the spring, 20 percent of drivers said they would make major changes in the amount of gasoline they used once it reached $3 a gallon. In the latest poll, just 9 percent said a $3 gas price had caused them to reduce their gas usage.
"The good news for travelers is that gas prices are now on the decline," said Clay Ingram, AAA Alabama 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 now offering summer deals because gas prices cut into travel bookings in April and May."
The percentage of local residents who say they'll possibly or definitely take a vacation this summer has dropped by eight percent from the AAA Alabama summer 2010 poll. This year, 84 percent say they are considering or will take a summer vacation, compared to 92 percent last year.
Of those who say they will not vacation this summer, 65 percent cited higher gas prices as the main reason. "We expect some local consumers have also been hit with unexpected expenses and tragedy related to our recent natural disasters," Ingram said.
For those who do plan summer travel, 34 percent say they'll take one trip, 36 percent will take two, 19 percent will take three and 11 percent will take four or more. Last year, 15 percent took one trip, 37 percent took two, 30 percent took three and 18 percent took four or more.
Most local polled summer vacationers (85 percent) plan to take at least one summer trip to another U.S. state, while 38 percent will take at least one trip in Alabama. The most popular destination states are Florida, Georgia and Tennessee, while the most popular destination city is Atlanta.
Sixty-four 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 (34 percent)
- Buying new clothes or shoes (31 percent)
- Gasoline usage (31 percent)
- New electronics (21 percent)
- Movies or concerts (19 percent)
More travelers are also using their cell phones to search for discounts they can use on their trip. Twenty-six percent said they now use smartphone discount apps such as the AAA Discounts app for their travel, compared to 10 percent last summer.
Among the 78 percent of local residents who said gas prices have impacted their overall budgets, the vast majority of them (83 percent) say they have cut back on unnecessary driving to cope with the higher prices.
Other highlights from the poll:
- Alabamans continue to be frugal with their overall entertainment activities in addition to vacations. Sixty-two percent indicated they are changing their entertainment plans for this summer to save money.
- Top activities for this year's summer vacations include visiting family (57 percent), sightseeing (51 percent), visiting friends (38 percent), visiting attractions (33 percent), shopping (28 percent), and maintaining a family tradition of traveling during the summer (20 percent).
- 56 percent of summer travelers plan to spend a total of $1,500 or less on all their summer trips.
- For 60 percent of travelers, their longest summer trip will last from four to seven days, and for 23 percent, it will last eight to 14 days.
- For their longest trip of the summer, 60 percent will drive to their destination in their personal vehicle while 27 percent will fly.
- 48 percent of travelers will stay in a hotel on their longest summer trip, and 18 percent will stay with family.
The AAA Alabama 2011 Summer Travel Poll was administered by the AAA Alabama Marketing & Brand Research Department, taken by 390 AAA Alabama members between May 2 and May 16 and has a +/- margin of error of 4.9 percent.
Contact Information:
Contact:
Clay Ingram
(205) 978-7000 ext. 3223