What's Hot and What's Not?
Americans reveal vacation destination preferences for the year ahead.
Orlando, Fla. (PRWEB) May 10, 2006 -- Throughout May, millions of Americans are finalizing preparations for summer vacation. Many will head to the beach. Some will head to the cool of the mountains. Others will vacation at theme parks or surround themselves with the sights and sounds of city destinations.
Which destinations are most likely to be the beneficiaries of this annual migration?
The 2006 National Leisure Travel Monitor,™ a benchmark travel study now in its 14th year, compiled by Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell (YPB&R), Orlando, and Yankelovich, Inc. reveal that, among U.S. states, California and Florida weigh in once again as the perennial favorites. Interest in visiting Florida, however, declined significantly over 2005 levels, presumably as a result of concerns about uncertain weather during the late summer and early fall. Hawaii, Arizona and Colorado round out the top five.
Extremely/Very Interested In Visiting - 2006*
State:
California - 34%
Florida - 32%†
Hawaii - 20%
Arizona - 15%
Colorado - 15%
† Denotes statistically significant change over previous year.
| | - Does not equal 100% due to multiple responses.
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The specific destinations of greatest interest to Americans all have one thing in common: they are islands blessed by natural beauty. They include the Neighbor Islands of Hawaii and Honolulu, as well as the Florida Keys. The national parks and mountain resorts of Colorado make up the remainder of the top 5.
Family favorite Orlando and entertainment mecca Las Vegas are of equal interest to almost half the population of active leisure travelers.
Extremely/Very Interested In Visiting - 2006*
Hawaiian Neighbor Islands (i.e., Maui, Kauai, etc.) - 75%†
National parks (i.e., Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, etc.) - 73%†
Honolulu, Hawaii - 71%†
The Florida Keys - 56%
Colorado mountain resorts - 51%†
Lake Tahoe (California and Nevada) - 50%†
San Francisco, California - 49%
San Diego, California - 48%†
Orlando, Florida - 47%
Las Vegas, Nevada - 47%†
† Denotes statistically significant change over previous year.
| | - Top two box score on a scale of one to five where one equals "not at all interested" and five equals "extremely interested."
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Finally, for the more than nine in ten travelers interested in taking an international trip during the next two years (although only one out of five actually do), Europe remains the dream destination, followed by Australia, the Caribbean, Canada, the Far East and Mexico.
Interest In Visiting - 2006
Area/Region:*
Europe - 62%
Australia - 20%
Caribbean - 17%
Canada - 14%
Far East - 11%
Mexico - 10%
Africa - 7%†
South Pacific - 7%
Middle East - 6%
South/Central America - 6%
† Denotes statistically significant change over previous year.
| | - Does not equal 100% due to multiple responses.
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About YPB&R/Yankelovich:
The YPB&R/Yankelovich, Inc. 2006 National Travel Monitor is an annual survey of 1,353 U.S. adults. Widely regarded as one of the most accurate barometers of the travel habits and intentions of Americans, the study is now in its 14th year.
Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell is America’s leading marketing services firm specializing in serving travel, leisure and lifestyle clients. For more information, www.ypbr.com.
More information:
Rod Caborn at 407-838-1799
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