
AAA Survey Shows More Families Traveling Abroad
July 17, 2006
AAA Survey Shows More Families Traveling Abroad
July 17, 2006 – A recent AAA survey suggests that more families are taking international vacations. Results show that 42 percent of travel professionals polled say they are booking more international trips for parents with children under 18. The top international destinations for families are the Caribbean, Mexico, and Europe.
AAA also reports an overall increase in Americans traveling overseas. In May, the organization reported an 18 percent increase in international bookings and a 25 percent increase in travel bookings to Europe. In addition, AAA Publishing is seeing increased interest in books related to European travel. AAA’s Europe TravelBook is one of its most popular selling travel guides and eight out of the top 10 selling AAA Spiral Guides are about travel to or within Europe. International solo travel also is on the increase. Nineteen percent of AAA travel agents report an upswing in single travelers going overseas, and 58 percent say Europe is the most popular destination, followed by the Caribbean (21 percent) and Mexico (19 percent).
According to AAA travel professionals, 80 percent of travelers are influenced by referrals from friends and family. Sixty-two percent say vacationers are influenced by a book, magazine, movie or television show and 50 percent are influenced by an ad they saw in print or on television. For more information, visit http://www.aaa.com/.