Summer travelers not cutting back vacations despite higher costs DENVER, May 17- While travel costs have increased this summer, they have not deterred people from traveling this upcoming Memorial Day and during the summer travel season. "People are still traveling despite the higher costs," said Sandra Barnes, AAA Colorado's Director of Travel. "Travelers find other ways to save money such as staying in less expensive hotels, eating at less expensive restaurants, or traveling closer to home." Gas prices in Colorado are up considerably from last year. The average price for regular unleaded in Colorado is $3.266 a gallon, an all-time record high. Last year on this date the average price in Colorado for regular unleaded was $2.83 per gallon. Hotel rates are also up about 13 percent nationally from a year ago, with travelers paying an average of $174 per night at AAA 3 Diamond hotels. Not all summer costs have increased. AAA's Leisure Travel Index shows flights during the upcoming holiday weekend averaging 5 percent less this year than last year. Car rental rates are expected to fall 16 percent from last year, with renters paying an average of $31, almost $6 a day less than last year. "Despite the higher gas prices and hotel rates, not all costs have increased," said Barnes. This means that the total cost of many trips will be approximately the same as last year." AAA estimates that 38.3 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this Memorial Day holiday, a 1.7 percent increase from last year. Despite record high gas prices, approximately 32.1 million travelers (84 percent of all holiday travelers) expect to go by motor vehicle, a 1.8 percent increase from the 31.5 million who drove a year ago. Another 4.4 million (11 percent of holiday travelers) plan to travel by airplane, up 1 percent from last Memorial Day. A projected 1.9 million (5 percent of all travelers) will travel by train, bus, or other mode of transportation. Overall summer bookings (Memorial Day through Labor Day weekends) at AAA Colorado's full service travel agency have decreased slightly from last year. Barnes said that this does not signal less people are traveling, but instead that more people are searching for last minute bargains. "With some travel costs up, more travelers are trying to find last minute deals, instead of booking and planning their trips ahead of time. Unfortunately, often times not booking far enough in advance can cost travelers more than it saves in vacation options and prices." The top three out-of-state destinations this summer, based on bookings through AAA Colorado, include Orlando (Disneyworld), Vancouver (summer cruises), and Cancun. In state, the most hotel bookings are in Denver, Durango and Colorado Springs. Research for Memorial Day travel is based on a national survey of 2,000 adults by the Travel Industry Association, which conducts special research for AAA. AAA Colorado has more than 500,000 members in Colorado and is an advocate for safety and security for all travelers. As North America's largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides nearly 50 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services, as well as member-exclusive savings. AAA can be visited on the Internet at www.aaa.com. ###
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