There’s good news and bad news in the latest Ypartnership report on travel: US travelers are very stressed and sensitive to price but a growing number plan a leisure trip in the near future.
When asked about their travel intentions, 61 percent said they planned to take a vacation by October, up from 56 percent at this time last year. About 14 percent of travelers said they plan to take at least one business trip during the same period, on par with a year ago.
"It's pretty obvious that the destiny of the travel industry is listing toward leisure," said Peter Yesawich, the company's chief executive officer.
Yesawich drew his conclusions from two sets of data: the Ypartnership/Harrison Group 2011 Portrait of American Travelers and a quarterly poll of traveler intentions.
When it comes to finances, travelers say they're more concerned this year about all elements of travel, ranging from the cost of gas and airline tickets to the economy in general.
More than a third say they're using coupons more often, and 31 percent say they're waiting for sales more frequently.
To lure price-sensitive travelers, some in the industry have turned to time-sensitive discounts — also known as flash sales — that encourage consumers to make quick decisions when booking.
A full 20 percent of leisure travelers said they have purchased a travel service through a flash-sale email, up from 14 percent last year, according to Ypartnership.
While flash sales are gaining speed, Yesawich says the "long-form vacation" is losing ground.
Pressed for time or facing “time poverty,” travelers are abandoning the weeklong escape and looking instead for close, quick getaways, according to Yesawich.
By David Wilkening
