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Leisure travelling could dip this year
One out of six leisure travellers (16 per cent) plans to take fewer
trips this year, compared to last. The most frequently cited reason
for this expectation last year (in 2007) was the inability to get
away from work, mentioned by one out of every four consumers who
expressed this sentiment.
And although the demands of work continue to interfere with the
leisure travel plans of many Americans, emerging pressures on the
household budget now reign as the primary culprit. This comes as
no surprise given consumers' anxiety about the rising cost of gasolene
and food, as well as their growing concern about job security.
As revealed in our 2008 National Leisure Travel Monitor, 'current
economic conditions' are now cited as the primary reason leisure
travellers plan to take fewer leisure trips in the year ahead. A
significant decline has been noted in the two most frequently mentioned
reasons last year, both of which were attributable to 'time poverty',
a term we coined several years ago to characterise the sense of
compression felt by increasingly overworked Americans. These include
'not able to get away from my job' and 'have projects/things I need
to do at home'.
fewer trips
Today, however, one out of eight adults who plans to take fewer
trips feels 'the overall cost of travel is too high' and, a comparable
proportion states, 'there are other things they would like to do
with their spare time than travel'. Not surprisingly, the data also
reveal a significant increase in the percentage of travellers who
are planning fewer trips because 'the price of gasolene is too high'.
These data are summarised below.
*For more information on the Ypartnership/Yankelovich 2008 National
Travel MonitorSM, please visit the publications section of www.ypartnership.com.
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