Autumn Trips On Despite Harsh Economy
Eighty-six percent of travelers are planning leisure trips this fall, compared to 74 percent that said they traveled for fun last autumn. Fifty-six percent are planning weekend getaway trips this autumn, and 35 percent have one week trips in store.
TripAdvisor, a leading travel site, today (August 23) announced the results of its annual fall and Labor Day travel survey of more than 1,600 U.S. respondents.
Seventy-six percent of respondents said their fall travel plans are not affected by recent economic news. Thirty-seven percent of travelers intend to spend more than they did last fall on leisure trips, while 46 percent plan to spend about the same amount.
Nearly half of travelers (48 percent) feel the fall is the most economical season to travel.
Top 3 Fall Trip Types:
1. City trip – 40%
2. Cultural trip – 28%
3. Beach trip – 27%
Top 3 Fall Activities:
1. View colorful fall foliage – 43%
2. Wine tasting/visiting a vineyard – 29%
3. Attend a state/county fair or fall festival – 23%
Top 5 U.S. Destinations Travelers Plan to Visit this Autumn:
1. New York City
2. Las Vegas
3. Orlando
4. Chicago
5. San Francisco
Twenty-eight percent of travelers intend to travel for Labor Day weekend this year, equal to those that said they planned to in last year’s survey. Among those traveling for the holiday, 60 percent expect to drive, and 34 percent plan to fly.
Twenty-six percent will take an outdoors trip, 24 percent will take a city escape and another 24 percent will take a beach trip. Forty-seven percent will see family and friends for the holiday weekend.
The worst part of traveling for Labor Day is the traffic, according to 40 percent of respondents, while 16 percent cited it being depressing that Labor Day represents the end of summer, says TripAdvisor.
“While Labor Day represents the end of summer vacations for some, it also signals the beginning of shoulder season deals and fewer crowds at popular destinations for travelers able to schedule fall getaways,” said Karen Drake, senior director of communications for TripAdvisor.
