Friday, July 1, 2011

Close-to-home vacations mean opportunity for you!

More people are choosing to travel this summer after years of staying home, according to recent reports. In an American Express survey, 59% of Americans said they are planning a trip this summer, up from 51% in 2010.  "Americans are planning more vacations this summer," said Claire Bennett, SVP/GM of American Express Travel. "However, they are still looking for options with great value."  Most people say they will stay relatively close to home and opt for a destination within driving distance. In fact, automotive group AAA estimated that 88% of the 34.9 million Americans that traveled over Memorial Day weekend, traveled by car. 

Only about 20% of Americans plan to fly to domestic destinations this summer and just 14% will head overseas (thanks to the steep cost of international travel), according to a separate report by MasterCard.

That means contact regional resorts for one-tank-trips and get them on your air to market to this crowd looking for great value, close-to-home!