Leisure travel will increase more than 2 percent this summer, with 328 million Americans expected to head for a destination more than 50 miles from home, compared to 320 million last summer, according to the Travel Industry Association of America.
‘’Every sector of the travel industry will be up, up, up,'’ said Suzanne Cook, senior vice president of research for the nonprofit organization, which bases its travel forecast on an annual survey of 1,000 Americans.
Florida, California, Nevada and New York are the places travelers would most like to visit this summer, the survey found.
Air travel is expected to increase 4 percent, and despite high gas prices, 17 percent of Americans plan to use an RV this summer. Sixteen percent of vacationers will go to an all-inclusive resort, and 16 percent will travel outside the United States. Ten percent say they’ll take a cruise.
The statistics also show that while Americans are taking more short trips, the amount of time they’re spending away from home on their longest trip has decreased a half-day, to an average seven-night stay.
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Related Travel Information
Despite rising prices, the Travel Industry Association of America is predicting Americans will be traveling in record numbers this summer, with Florida a preferred destination.
Other preferred destinations include California, Nevada and New York.
"Every sector of the travel industry will be up, up, up," says Suzanne Cook, TIAA senior vice president of research. "The momentum in travel recovery that began in earnest last year is continuing into the summer, with a 2.3-percent increase in leisure travel."
That, she says, means that Americans will take 328 million leisure "person-trips" during June, July and August 2005. A person-trip is one person traveling
Further underlining the UAE's reputation as a strong travel and tourism market, a leading travel company has stated that current summer trends signal a further increase above the forecasted growth in airline bookings for the rest of the year, with leisure travel growing beyond expectations.
Pointing to a 25 percent increase in its summer business, Sharjah National Travel & Tourist Agency (SNTTA), one of the leading travel companies in the region and a member of the Dubai-based Liberty Investment Company, said that its sales had exceeded QII 2005 forecast and was boosted mainly by an unprecedented 20 percent surge in leisure
Consumers clearly know that prices in general, and travel prices in particular, are rising. In fact, the majority of intended summer travelers expect travel prices (such as those for transportation, lodging, food and entertainment) to be higher this summer. And a significant one-third (34%) expect travel prices to be much higher compared to last summer, according to a special Travel Poll conducted by the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA). Results are based on a representative sample survey of 1,000 U.S. adults who traveled in the past year.
“Higher travel prices will keep some Americans at home or force them
Leisure travel will increase more than 2% this summer, with Americans expected to take some 328 million trips to destinations more than 50 miles from home, compared to 320 million last summer, according to the Travel Industry Association of America.
"Every sector of the travel industry will be up, up, up," said Suzanne Cook, senior vice president of research for the nonprofit organization, which bases its travel forecast on an annual survey of 1,000 Americans.
Florida, California, Nevada and New York are the places travelers would most like to visit this summer, the survey found.
Air travel is expected to increase 4%, and
Flights to London have been unaffected by the Thursday bomb attacks, and travellers from Thailand to the United Kingdom should not be inconvenienced.
Methanee Sukmak of JP Travel said none of her agency's customers had cancelled trips and her business was not affected. Travellers to the UK are aware that Thursday's attacks were in central London only, while airports were far away from the city centre, she said.
''If a bomb went off at an airport, that would be another story,'' said Ms Methanee.
In any case, July is the low season for Thais going to Europe, she said. Traffic between Thailand and
