Travel Fun Facts
Me and My Gang
American men took more than 37 million getaway trips with “just the guys” in 2005. Men-only trips are really popular among the younger crowd: Nearly half of the trips are taken by men under 35.
Source: TIA TravelScope®/DIRECTIONS® by DKS&A
Forty-Nine Weeks On, Three Weeks Off
The average American receives only 13 days of vacation per year. Only 2 in 10 get more than four weeks annually.
Source: TIA/Synovate Voice of the Traveler Survey
This Way, Ladies
American women took 48 million trips in 2005 with “just the girls,” up 8% from the previous year. Half of the trips are taken by those over 50.
Source: TIA TravelScope®/DIRECTIONS® by DKS&A
What Gets You Going?
Nine out of 10 travelers say they are interested in visiting a new destination on vacation, followed closely by interest in spending quality time with travel companions and traveling specifically to visit family/friends.
Source: TIA/Synovate Voice of the Traveler Survey
Never Too Far From Home
We may strive to “get away from it all” on vacation, but we carry a surprising amount of technology with us when we travel: cell phone (86% of travelers), digital camera (67% of travelers), laptop computer (24% of travelers).
Source: TIA/Synovate Voice of the Traveler Survey
Gen X/Y Group Travel Activities: Men vs. Women
Shopping is key for women, but for men it barely makes the top five. When it comes to eating out, women and men are on the same page.
Top Female Group Activities (18-34 years)
• Shopping
• Dining
• Touring/Sightseeing
• Entertainment
• Night life
Top Male Group Activities (18-34 years)
• Entertainment
• Dining
• Night life
• Touring/Sightseeing
• Shopping
Source: TIA TravelScope®/DIRECTIONS® by DKS&A
Now That's Getting Out There
More than 1 in 3 travelers engaged in an active outdoor activity in the past two years, such as snow skiing, canoeing or rock climbing, while on a trip.
Source: TIA/Synovate Voice of the Traveler Survey
In Love with the Open Road
Automobiles lead as the transportation mode of choice for American travelers (84%), followed by airplanes, buses and trains.
Source: TIA TravelScope®/DIRECTIONS® by DKS&A
Head Here for Fine Food
Top 5 destinations for food-related travel: California (14%), Florida (10%), New York (7%), Texas (6%), North Carolina (4%).
Source: Travel Industry Association
Vino Vacations
The Golden State tops U.S. destinations visited by wine enthusiasts.
California (31%), New York (10%), Missouri (5%), North Carolina (5%), Oregon (5%), Pennsylvania (5%).
Source: Travel Industry Association
Where Do You Fall?
Niche marketing is the trend in travel today. Hot new travel categories include: babymoons, destination weddings, girlfriend getaways, mancations, GLBT travel, procreation vacations, pet travel and voluntourism.
Source: Travel Industry Association
Are You a Travel Worker?
The U.S. travel industry directly employs 7.5 million workers. In fact, 1 of every 8 U.S. non-farm jobs is created directly or indirectly or is induced by travel and tourism. California , Florida , Texas and Nevada lead the nation in number of travel jobs.
Source: Travel Industry Association
Not to be specific, but…
Direct spending by resident and international travelers in the U.S. averaged $1.8 billion a day, $75 million an hour, $1.2 million a minute, and $21,000 a second.
Source: Travel Industry Association
Now That's A Good Deal
International travelers visiting the U.S. spend more than U.S. residents spend when traveling out of the country, creating a surplus of $7.4 billion for the nation's economy.
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce/Bureau of Economic Analysis
Getaway Coupling
Most prevalent leisure trip composition is male/female couples. About one-third of leisure trips include children. The average length of overnight stay is 3.3 nights.
Source: Source: TIA TravelScope®/DIRECTIONS® by DKS&A
Trip Spending
Leisure trip spending averages $360 per trip, which trumps average spending of $286 on business trips.
Source: Source: TIA TravelScope®/DIRECTIONS® by DKS&A
North and South Neighbors Visit Most
More international travelers visit the U.S. from Canada and Mexico than any other country. The U.K. , Japan and Germany round out the top five. Overseas travel to the U.S. has declined 17% since 2000.
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce/Office of Travel & Tourism Industries
West and East Coasts Top List for GLBT Travelers
Among gay/lesbian/bi-sexual/transgender travelers, San Francisco is the top destination considered to be gay friendly, followed by Key West/Florida Keys, Provincetown , New York City and Miami/South Beach.
Source: Travel Industry Association
