Consumer spending on holiday travel is expected to rise this year, as one in four Americans hit the proverbial road for a holiday trip between Thanksgiving and Christmas. While travel volume remains flat at about the same as last year,
Consumer spending on holiday travel is expected to rise this year, as one in four Americans hit the proverbial road for a holiday trip between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
While travel volume remains flat at about the same as last year, among those persons who do plan on traveling, 37 percent plan to spend more on holiday travel than they did last year, according to a national study by Maritz Research.
The increase in spending results in part from a greater percentage of holiday travelers planning to travel by air. Thirty nine percent plan to travel by air, versus 29 percent in 2003. That’s good news for Kaua‘i, who stand to gain from high-flying and high-spending winter vacationers.
Nationwide, folks will spend an average of $126 per night for lodging and dining, and one in five (21 percent) survey respondents reported that financial constraints will keep them from traveling during the holidays – a level nearly even with the 20 percent who reported being limited by finances in 2003.
Twenty-nine percent of U.S. adults surveyed by Harris Interactive for Hotwire.com stated that they plan to travel at least 100 miles from home this Thanksgiving holiday to spend the holidays with friends or family. And 84 percent of adults who plan to spend Thanksgiving away from home will be at the home of friends or relatives. Harris Interactive surveyed over 2,000 U.S. adults online for the Thanksgiving holiday study.
