Insights June 2009
WHERE LEISURE TRAVELERS WANT TO GO
The summer vacation season is now upon us, and the latest results from our travelhorizonsSM survey suggest the industry should be cautiously optimistic about what the next few months will bring. Specifically, fully 54% of U.S. adults are planning at least one overnight trip during the next 6 months, up from 50% the same time last year.
So which domestic destinations make the list of "dream destinations" for leisure travelers? The results, according to our just-released 2009 National Travel MONITORSM, are revealed below.
Florida and California continue to reign as the states Americans would like to visit most on vacation, with fully one-third (34%) of leisure travelers mentioning the former and three out of ten (30%) citing the latter. Arizona, Hawaii and New York follow, mentioned by roughly one out of six leisure travelers:
|
Interest In Vacationing In Selected States
(Unaided) |
|
| State |
%
Mentions 2009 |
| Florida |
34
|
| California |
30
|
| Arizona |
16
|
| Hawaii |
16
|
| New York |
15
|
| Washington |
13
|
| Alaska |
12
|
| Colorado |
12
|
| Texas |
12
|
| Nevada |
11
|
Of the 25+ specific destinations in which we measure consumers’ interest, the National Parks were identified as the dream destination by fully two-thirds of American leisure travelers, followed by the Neighbor Islands of Hawaii (63%), Honolulu (59%) and the Florida Keys (45%):
|
Interest In Vacationing In Selected Destinations
(Aided) |
|
| Destination |
%
Mentions 2009 |
| National Parks |
66
|
| Hawaiian Neighbor Islands |
63
|
| Honolulu |
59
|
| Florida Keys |
45
|
| Orlando |
40
|
| San Diego |
39
|
| San Francisco |
38
|
| Las Vegas |
36
|
| New York |
36
|
| Lake Tahoe |
34
|
Actual visitation patterns are affected by such practical considerations as the cost of getting there, the time required to travel there, and the lodging and related expenses incurred while staying there. All other things being equal, however, the aspirations reflected in these preference measures auger well for future visitation of the listed destinations.
For more information about the results of the 2009 Ypartnership/Yankelovich National Travel MONITORSM visit www.ypartnership.com.
June 30th, 2009 at 9:47 am
Hello Peter,
Does the Ypartnership/Yankelovich study capture any detail about intent to travel to state parks? I am wearing my volunteer President of Friends of Florida State Parks hat in asking. We have no money for research unfortunately, but fight a constant battle with the legislature attempting to cut parks budgets or close some entirely. Any information you can provide would be helpful…E
June 30th, 2009 at 9:49 am
Hello Elaine! Unfortunately, we do not have any information specifically on state parks…
June 30th, 2009 at 10:39 am
Hi Peter,
what are the 10 preferred vacation activities for travellers to Florida in general, Certral , South Florida and the keys in particular? Your response is greatly appreciated
Andreas
June 30th, 2009 at 10:42 am
Great hearing from you, and I will forward in an attachment.
June 30th, 2009 at 10:54 am
Thank you for sharing this information with us, especially for us little guys.
June 30th, 2009 at 11:28 am
I am interested in the same report as Andreas Meinhold. What sections of Florida?
June 30th, 2009 at 11:52 am
More (mentions) interests in vacationing in Florida than Hawaii??? What? I have been to both countless times and Florida has nothing on Hawaii. Thank you for the info though!
June 30th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Thanks for your always useful information. How about international destinations? How are our Mexican destinations doing?
June 30th, 2009 at 9:01 pm
Peter great info,
Anything about Nashville and TN state
July 1st, 2009 at 7:03 am
To Bev: with pleasure!
To Annie: we do not have specific information on activities of interest to vacationers in Florida, but to have national data. And you can order a complete copy of the Monitor results by visiting the Publications section of http://www.ypartnership.com.
To Sonny: The Neighbor Islands of Hawaii (63%) and Honolulu (59%) trump all Florida destinations (The Keys weigh in at #1 in Florida at 45%) when we pose the question about interest in visiting 25 specific destinations!
To Tere: 9% of active US leisure travelers are interested in visiting Mexico this year (essentially the same as last year).
To irrit: Unfortunately, we don’t have specific information on Nashville or TN.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:58 pm
[...] Ypartnership/Yankelovich 2009 National MONITOR (SM) came out recently with data regarding the preferences for U.S. destinations according to U.S. [...]
July 1st, 2009 at 2:33 pm
[...] see the chart of destination, and other useful information, visit the Yankelovitch blog. Share and [...]
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:40 am
[...] study, conducted by the Y Partnership, asked people which of a selection of 25 travel destinations they [...]
July 2nd, 2009 at 11:42 am
Great news! There is hope for American when the national parks make the top dream destination. I hope Ken Burns’ new series adds to those numbers.
July 8th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Dear Peter,
I, too, would appreciate a copy of the report that was sent to Andreas.
Thanks in advance.
Jane
July 13th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Peter,
This is great information did you have anything on Georgia?
July 13th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
6% of US leisure travelers are interested in visiting Georgia on vacation during the next two years…essentially the same percentage as last year.
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