AAA Expects Modest Increase in Holiday Travel
Indianapolis, IN (Nov.
20, 2007) –
Travelers this Thanksgiving are facing record high gas
prices for November but they will not be deterred from
seeing friends and family. AAA estimates that 38.7 million
Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this
holiday, a modest 1.5 percent increase from last year’s 38.1
million travelers.
“The interesting trend this
holiday season is gas prices,” said Greg Seiter, public
affairs manager for AAA Hoosier Motor Club. “This is the
first time that we have seen gas prices topping more than
$3.00 a gallon in November. A year ago prices were in the
range of $2.20 a gallon, so this year travelers are really
feeling the pinch. But Thanksgiving is traditionally a time
for family gatherings and higher gas prices will not
discourage Americans from connecting with their loved ones.”
This is consistent with
historical data, which shows that high gas prices do not
generally keep people from traveling by car.
While travelers will be
paying more at the pump, they will be getting a break in
other areas of their travel budget this holiday. Following
steep increases last year, hotels, airfares and car rental
prices are all either flat or showing a drop in price,
according to AAA’s Leisure Travel Index.
Compared to last year,
holiday hotel rates are down three percent for AAA-Rated
Three Diamond hotels, after a significant increase last
year. Rates at AAA Two Diamond hotels are up by only one
percent this holiday. Expect lower rates for rental cars, as
well, with an average decrease of 12 percent. And with an
average seven percent decrease from last year, airline
passengers will also be getting a bit of a break this
holiday.
Approximately 31.2 million
travelers (80 percent of all holiday travelers) expect to go
by motor vehicle, a 1.3 percent increase from the 30.8
million who drove in 2006.
AAA expects 4.7 million
Americans (12.1 percent of holiday travelers) to travel by
airplane, up 2.2 percent from last year’s Thanksgiving
holiday. A projected 2.8 million travelers will go by train,
bus, or other mode of transportation.
This holiday season AAA
collected additional demographic information on holiday
travelers and found some interesting results.
The largest portion of
holiday travelers, 43.3 percent, will travel with two to
three other people from the same household, while 21.8
percent will be traveling with four or more people from
their household. Another 34.8 percent will be traveling
alone or with one other person from their household.
Survey data for this holiday
also shows that people with children tend to travel with
them. Of families with children, 71.1 percent will be taking
their kids along and 28.9 percent will be traveling without
them.
In terms on income, 44.3
percent of holiday travelers say they earn $40,000 or less,
32 percent earn between $40,000 and $75,000 while 23.4
percent earn $75,000 or more. Nearly 60 percent (59.4
percent) of travelers this holiday are married.
Finally, 40 percent will be
coming from big cities, 23.7 percent from the suburbs and
35.5 from rural areas of the U.S.
The greatest number of
Thanksgiving auto travelers will originate in the Southeast
with 9 million, followed by the West, 7.1 million; Midwest,
6.6 million; the Great Lakes, 6.2 million; and the
Northeast, 2.4 million.
The Southeast is expected to
produce the largest number of air travelers with 1.3
million, followed closely by the West (1.2 million). The
Midwest comes next with 783,000; then the Northeast with
769,000; and Great Lakes with 646,000.
Traditionally Thanksgiving
is a time for people to visit friends and family, so as
expected the vast majority of this year’s travelers will
stay at a friend or relative’s home. Hotels and motels are
usually the second choice of lodging for Thanksgiving
travelers followed by cabin/condo and
camper/trailer/RV/tent.
Research for Thanksgiving
holiday travel is based on a national web survey of 2,200
adults by the Travel Industry Association, which conducts
special research for AAA. The survey was conducted October
22-26, 2007.
AAA
AAA Hoosier Motor Club is a fully tax-paying, not-for-profit
corporation that offers a wide range of services. The
405,000-member affiliate of the American Automobile
Association (AAA) works for the improvement of motoring and
traveling conditions within its 50-county Indiana territory.
AAA is the largest motoring and traveling organization in
the world with more than 50 million members.
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