A new Priceline.com survey of consumer trends in booking travel 7 days or less before departure finds that many short-notice travelers are just too busy to book their vacations any further in advance.
Of 1000 US consumers who responded to the survey, 30% said they were unable to plan more than seven days in advance, compared with 27% who believed they could find a better deal by waiting. A further 13% blamed concern about personal finances for their procrastination.
”It seems that many couples and families stand a better chance of hitting the lottery than planning a vacation weeks or months in advance and making it stick,” said Brett Keller, Priceline.com’s chief marketing officer.
The grab-it-when-you-can vacation appears to be the preferred way to unwind for Americans stressed out with commitments at home, at the office and with other activities, he added.
The survey also found that late bookings were more common when booking short breaks, with 70% of respondents saying that they stayed three nights or fewer when taking a spur of the moment trip.
Another one-third said they would book a four-to seven-night break at short notice and just 4% a trip of eight nights or longer.
The majority (59%) of respondents said they would book a hotel room at short notice, 36% an airline ticket and 35% a hire car. But only 10% would leave it late to book a package holiday and 7% a cruise.
Report by David Wilkening
