Americans will Travel Less (& Austrians will travel more) this summer..

One in Four Americans Plan to Travel Less This Summer. When asked about their summer travel plans -- including vacations and weekend trips -- in a recent USA Today/Gallup poll, 27% of Americans say they will travel less this year than last while 18% say they will travel more. Another 37% say they will travel the same amount, and 18% say they don't travel much. These travel intentions appear to be highly influenced by consumers' economic confidence.

Those who rate the current economy "poor" are much more likely to say they intend to travel less than those who rate the economy "excellent/good" or "only fair." Similarly, those who say the economy is "getting worse" are much more likely to say they intend to travel less than who say it is "getting better." It appears that consumer expectations about the future of the economy play a role in their comfort with spending money on travel this summer.

Just about as many men under 50 years of age say they will travel more as say they will travel less. On the other hand, many more women of the same age say they will travel less than say they will travel more. While more men and women over 50 say they intend to travel less rather than more this summer, the intention to cut back on travel is particularly strong among women over 50. In the East, just about as many Americans say they will travel more as less. In the other three regions, far more say they will travel less this summer than travel more.  (source: www.Gallup.com)

On the other hand, a recent survey among Austrian travelers revealed greater optimism regarding their summer vacation. Most of the Austrians plan to go for holiday this year and to spend more.

The crisis in Austrian tourism is expected to be overcome in summer 2010. According to the latest study by Marketagent.com, an online research company, nearly 80% of all Austrians plan to go on holiday this year. 54% of all respondents claim that they will definitely go on holidayand 24% said that they will probably take a vacation. The findings suggest that Austrians are prepared to spend around €600 per person for their summer vacation this year, which is more than last year.

“Nearly three quarters of all respondents stated that the financial crisis had not very much impact on their vacation behavior. 46% of all respondents said that the crisis had rather less impact and 28% was sure the crisis had no impact at all,” added Thomas Schwabl, managing director of Marketagent.com.

After a period of cautious management of their finances it seems many Austrian travelers want to spend more and enjoy their holiday freely this summer, which of course is good news for all tourism service providers. The study further revealed that 40% of the respondents plan a two weeks holiday while more than a third (almost 35%) plans about a week-long summer vacation. Only 13% plan to limit their holiday to 3-5 days.

Summer vacation is a high priority for many Austrians. 70% of all respondents view their summer holiday as very important or important. Only about 10% consider the vacation in summer to be less important.

Moreover, the majority of Austrian holiday makers (54%) prefer to spend their holiday on a beach. 27% is planning a family vacation and almost the same amount of tourists is planning a city or cultural trip.

The study also focused on the preferences of Austrians with respect to booking. About 40% of all the respondents book their vacation shortly before leaving for holiday while 38% book long time in advance. About 29% of the travelers choose travel agencies to take care for everything even in case the accommodation is provided directly in the resort. However nearly 11% do not book their holiday at all and simply choose their accommodation as they reach their destination.

Sources: Tourism-Review.Com