US travel on solid footing for summer

WASHINGTON, DC – For the second consecutive year, the outlook for summer travel continues to brighten with more than three in five US adults (64 percent), or an estimated 154 million Americans, planning on taking at least one trip for leisure purposes during the next 6 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 US Travel Association, are based on a survey of 2,200 US 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 US 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 US 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 US is on the mend is that business travelers took an average of 6.3 trips in the past 12 months, the highest average number in the past 5 years.

The overall Traveler Sentiment Index™ (TSI), which tracks Americans’ evolving attitudes toward travel, reached 93.5 in April, nearly 10 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.