Neither feast nor famine for US leisure travelers

SHERMAN, CT – Consumer spending may be on the rise, but when it comes to leisure travel, many Americans are still feeling frugal.

SHERMAN, CT – Consumer spending may be on the rise, but when it comes to leisure travel, many Americans are still feeling frugal. According to a new report by travel industry research authority PhoCusWright, overall leisure travel incidence remained flat in the past year, and many of the U.S. adults who did manage to vacation took fewer and shorter trips. But while the average traveler may still not be feeling confident enough to splurge, there are signs that some vacationers are tentatively loosening the purse strings.

According to PhoCusWright’s U.S. Consumer Travel Report Fifth Edition, six in ten U.S. adults traveled for leisure in 2012, roughly even with the previous year. Travelers on average took 2.8 leisure trips, down slightly, and some travelers economized by shortening medium-length trips (4-6 nights) into quick weekend getaways. Not surprisingly, taking fewer and shorter trips also meant that travelers spent less – average annual travel spend dropped roughly $230 year over year.

“Fewer trips may create the impression that consumer confidence has fallen, but many were simply making some small sacrifices to leave room in their budget for the big annual vacation,” said Carroll Rheem, principal analyst. “While travelers aren’t exactly feeling footloose and fancy free, they are developing a bit of tolerance for the seemingly endless string of mixed economic messages.”

While the basic travel metrics fell flat, there are some signs that leisure travel is on the upswing. Many hotel guests, for example, felt comfortable enough to move up-market this past year. Incidence of spending at least one night at a budget hotel/motel dropped slightly, and significantly fewer travelers stayed with friends or family.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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