Summer travel trends

With the summer season for the United States in tow, Americans all over have been busy making plans and going on summer vacation trips, due to a large number of schools being on break and the exceptional weather. With a respondent pool of 213 individuals from all over the United States, thirteen questions were asked about their plans for the summer and insights about vacation destinations, reasoning, and income. From these 213 respondents, 44.6% reported they were male and 55.4% reported they were female. The age group of 17 and under was eliminated from the survey respondent pool, as they are not old enough to finance their own travels. The 213 respondents stated: 32.4% were ages 18­24, 20.7% were 25­34, 23.9% were 35­44, 13.1% were 45­54, and 9.9% were older than 54 years old.

All 213 respondents replied that they wanted to take a vacation during this summer season. Over 61.5% of the respondents stated there were either from the East or South region of the US, where the weather is mildly cold to very humid and hot. When asked where they wanted to travel to, 38.5% reported another state within the United States, 22.1% said the Caribbean Islands, and 12.6% in Europe. These most popular destinations are close proximity to the United States, which means costs for travel would be significantly lower. When asked where they wanted to visit at these destinations, an overwhelming 78% indicated the beach, as it is the perfect location and climate for the hot summer season. About 39.9% of the respondents said activities were the primary reason why they wanted to visit these destinations.

When asked on average, how many vacations does each respondent take each year, 52.6% stated only 0­1 times, and 37.1% said 2­4 times. Only 7.5% respondents said they take 8 or more vacations each year. The frequencies in vacations each year correlates with each individual’s’ household incomes, as money is a large factor in taking vacations. The majority of 46.0% stated they make less than $45,000, 19.7% saying they make $45,000­$49,999, 7% said $50,00­$59,999, and the remaining 27.2% making $60,000 or more. These numbers would play a significant role in vacation destination and hotel choice.

The majority of 54.9% respondents stated that they go on vacations with family and 21.1% said it was a personal vacation. A significant 50.7% responded that their financial budgets plays the most important part for their vacations. This can be seen by their method of booking and planning their vacations. About 57.3% said they use discount online websites, such as Expedia, Kayak, and Orbitz, to book their vacations. This is largely due to convenience and faster service. Again, when asked what determines their choice in hotel, the majority of 46.5% stated it was due to price, compared to various advertisements or testimony.

Overall, from this survey on 213 respondents throughout the entire United States, many have the desire to travel to nearby destination that has beaches or a tropical climate, where the weather is significantly cooler than their hometown. These locations offer more activities for tourists and visitors, as their weather are more ideal and bearable to endure. The majority of these respondents only take vacations 0­4 times a year, perhaps explained by their average household income. As a result of these incomes, price plays the most important role in planning and choosing a vacation destination and hotel reservations. Coincidently, the majority of these respondents use online discount websites as their method in booking their vacations and travel itinerary. All in all, Americans this year are primarily focused on saving their money and planning the best vacation they can at the best and most affordable values.

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Tiffany T. Tran – Market Research & Consumer Insights Intern, Pollfish