Weekend getaways: new travel trend
Travel marketers might want to cash in with a new travel trend: weekend trips. These getaways are increasingly appealing to Americans, with 225 million such trips taken last year.
That was an increase of more than 10 percent in just five years, according to the Travel Industry Association’s (TIA) U.S. Domestic Leisure Travel Report.
The shoulder seasons of April/May and September/October have become prime weekend getaway times (32%), about equal to the summer months (31%). Data from the report is based on the new TIA TravelScope®/DIRECTIONS® survey by DKS&A.
Weekend travelers are much more likely than the typical leisure traveler to stay in a hotel or bed & breakfast (58% vs. 44%). And because they stay just 2.2 nights on average, they don’t waste any time – weekend travelers manage to include more activities on their trips than leisure travelers overall.
The most popular activities during weekend trips: eating out, entertainment, shopping, and sightseeing.
“Weekend travelers spend more money, have higher incomes and participate in a greater number of activities,” said Dr. Suzanne Cook, Senior Vice President of Research for TIA.
She added:
“Travel packages specifically tailored to this market combine the memorable activities the short-stay traveler is looking for, such as entertainment, dining and sightseeing tours—all doable over a two- or three-day getaway.”
As expected, a large share of weekend trips are taken by male/female couples (43%); however, more than one-quarter of these trips are taken by families with children (28%).
Weekend getaways are more likely than other leisure trips to be taken by upper-income households, with 42% of such trips taken by households with incomes over $75,000. Weekend travelers spend an average of $416 on their trips, excluding the cost of transportation to their destination, compared to $360 for overall trips.
Report by David Wilkening
David
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