advertisement
Summer Travel Outlook Brightens - New Survey Reveals
Record Gains in Leisure Travel Intentions
64% of 2,200 U.S. Adults Surveyed Plan Leisure Travel
During the Next Six Months
|
News for the Hospitality Executive |
| WASHINGTON,
DC – May 16, 2012 - For
the second consecutive year, the outlook for summer travel continues to
brighten with more than three in five U.S. adults (64%), or an
estimated 154
million Americans, planning on taking at least one trip for leisure
purposes
during the next six months. The percentage of Americans planning to
travel
between May and October is up from 61 percent last April and 56 percent
in
April 2010. The latest results of the travelhorizons™ quarterly report, co-authored by MMGY Global and the U.S. Travel Association , are based on a survey of 2,200 U.S. adults taken in April 2012. "The April travelhorizons results come as welcome news for destinations and travel companies ahead of the summer and fall travel seasons," said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. "We are seeing a renewed enthusiasm for travel among consumers and barring any dramatic events, we believe that domestic travel will remain on solid footing through the summer travel season." Business travel is expected to improve slightly in the next six months, compared to the same timeframe as last year, with 17 percent of U.S. adults planning at least one business trip between May and October, a typically slow period for such travel. An encouraging sign that general business activity in the U.S. is on the mend is that business travelers took an average of 6.3 trips in the past twelve months, the highest average number in the past five years. The overall Traveler Sentiment Index™ (TSI), which tracks Americans' evolving attitudes toward travel, reached 93.5 in April, nearly ten points higher than April 2011 (March 2007=100). It was also significant that April's TSI remained essentially unchanged from the level of 93.6 in February, bucking the concern and speculation that higher gasoline prices earlier in 2012 would depress travel sentiment, as it did in 2011. "While a more substantial uptick in the overall Index would signal an even more robust turnaround from the industry's recent malaise, the results of the April survey clearly reveal that travelers have become more confident in their personal financial situation. The forthcoming summer travel season is therefore a wonderful time for travel service suppliers to capitalize on this growing optimism," said Peter Yesawich, vice chairman of MMGY Global. travelhorizons™ is a quarterly survey of Americans' travel intentions viewed through the lens of emerging economic, social and political developments that is co-authored by MMGY Global and the U.S. Travel Association. The most recent iteration of this nationally representative survey of 2,216 adults was conducted April 20 – 30, 2012. The corresponding statistical estimates have an error interval of +/- 2.5 percent at the 95 percent level of confidence. MMGY Global is a $150 million integrated global marketing firm with more than 35 years of experience in the travel, hospitality and entertainment industries. For more information, visit www.mmgyglobal.com.  The U.S. Travel Association is the national, non-profit organization representing all components of the travel industry that generates $1.9 trillion in economic output and supports 14.4 million jobs. U.S. Travel's mission is to increase travel to and within the United States. Visit www.ustravel.org. Follow us on Twitter @ustravel |
| Contact: Cathy Keefe (202) 408-2183 [email protected] Christie Gregovich (407) 838-1822 [email protected] |