WOULD IF I COULD

One out of six leisure travelers (16%) 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 gasoline and food, as well as their growing concern about job security.

As revealed in our 2008 National Leisure Travel Monitor^SM, “current economic conditions” are now cited as the primary reason leisure travelers 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 characterize 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.” 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 travelers who are planning fewer trips because “the price of gasoline is too high.” These data are summarized below:

For more information on the Ypartnership/Yankelovich 2008 National Travel Monitor^SM, please visit the Publications section of www.ypartnership.com.