Orbitz Survey Shows That 77 Percent of Americans Have Summer Travel Plans

CHICAGO, May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- As the economy improves consumers are hitting the road and increasing their summer vacation budgets with 53 percent planning to spend more than $1,500 compared to 39 percent in 2011. Orbitz surveyed nearly 1,000 U.S. travelers about their summer travel plans and of those surveyed 77 percent are taking a vacation this summer  with more than half (56 percent) planning to travel by car and 39 percent by air(1). The majority of consumers (60 percent) said gas prices will be a factor in where they travel this summer.

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Based on the Orbitz survey, more consumers are planning to travel in July (31 percent) rather than in June (18 percent) or August (20 percent) with the rest of travelers still undecided. With increased airfares and hotel rates this summer, researching deals and being flexible on travel dates can stretch summer vacation budgets. "Hotel prices in many of the most popular destination this summer are cheaper in June vs. July, including those in eight of the Orbitz top 10 summer destinations," said Jeanenne Tornatore, Senior Editor of Orbitz.com. "Travelers that can be flexible on travel dates should consider a June getaway when daily hotel rates are 6% less expensive, on average."

Orbitz Summer Travel Insider Index

The Orbitz Summer Travel Insider Index reveals the top 10 destinations for summer based on air bookings made on Orbitz.com from June 1 – August 31, 2012.  The Index also provides the average daily hotel rates in top markets based on the same travel period. Although hotel rates have increased 12 percent year-over-year in the top 10 summer destinations, there are travel bargains to be had with two of the top 10 hotspots offering  average rates under $100 per night (Las Vegas and Denver) and three more offering rates under $150 per night (Los Angeles, Orlando and Seattle).

Other highlights from the Orbitz Summer Travel Insider Index include:

• Las Vegas tops the list as the most popular destination for summer 2012 with affordable hotel rates ($95 per night) likely being a key factor.
• Cancun is the only international destination making the top 10 list this summer.
• Of the top 10 summer hotspots, Denver is the only city experiencing a decrease in average daily hotel rates.
• New York jumped quite a few spots from the sixth most popular destination in 2011 to the number-two spot this year, whereas Orlando dropped from the number one to number three destination.

Take Your Vacation This Summer: 3 Tips to Avoiding the Budget Barrier

Consumers should not let budgets be the barrier to taking a more than memorable vacation this summer. For those looking to take a fabulous vacation without stretching their finances, Tornatore shares a few summer budget travel tips:

• Follow the sale. Even with rising travel costs this year, summer promotions and deals are plentiful. For example, through the Orbitz Summer Hotel Sale travelers can save up to 40 percent on hotels(3).
• Search all nearby airports and consider traveling on off-peak days and times to help curb higher airfare costs. Expanding search options to include airports within a reasonable radius to departure and arrival destinations will provide more flight and price options. Also, traveling on off-peak days such as early in the week versus the weekend will save consumers green this summer.
• Book a package deal. Avoid a la carte booking and combine air, hotel and car together to optimize savings. A couple looking to travel from the U.S. to Rome, for example, can find average savings of $350 for a 7-day trip if they buy a package.

Additional Findings from the Orbitz Summer Travel Survey

• More travelers feel guilty about leaving behind their pet (33 percent) than their children (30 percent) when they go on vacation.
• Americans wish the U.S. would follow Europe's suit regarding paid time off, with 44 percent of survey respondents believing the government should mandate companies to offer at least four weeks of vacation per year.
• Nearly half (47 percent) of survey respondents are getting summer travel ideas through social media platforms such as Facebook and Pinterest.
• 54 percent of consumers said they would attend the Summer Olympics in London this year if money were no object.
• The majority of consumers plan to travel domestically (81 percent), but more consumers are planning to travel internationally this year (19 percent vs. 11 percent in 2011).

Terms & Conditions

(1)Orbitz.com fielded a summer travel survey via insight express from April 19-22, 2012 of 750 U.S. travelers 18 and older who have taken a trip in the last 12 months.

(2)The Orbitz Insider Index top ten destinations were ranked based on all air bookings (standalone air and air as part of a package) made on Orbitz.com by April 14, 2012 for travel between June 1 and August 31, 2012. The year-over-year percentage change in average daily hotel rate was calculated based on the difference in average air and hotel pricing in each destination in 2012 vs. 2011 for travel between June 1 and August 31.

(3)For complete terms and conditions for the Orbitz Summer Hotel Sale visit http://www.orbitz.com/sales. 

About Orbitz.com

Orbitz.com (www.orbitz.com) is a leading online travel company that enables travelers to search for and book a broad array of travel products, including airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, cruises and vacation packages.  Since launching its Web site to the general public in June 2001, Orbitz.com has become one of the largest online travel sites in the world and has led the industry with innovations including Flight Price Assurance, Hotel Price Assurance and Total Price hotel search results. On Orbitz.com consumers can search more than 80,000 suppliers worldwide including airlines, hotels and car rental companies.  Orbitz.com is owned by Orbitz Worldwide.  Stay connected to Orbitz.com with sale alerts, exclusive promotions and engaging conversations by following Orbitz on Facebook (www.facebook.com/orbitz), Twitter (www.twitter.com/orbitz) and the Orbitz Travel Blog (www.orbitz.com/blog).

About Orbitz Worldwide

Orbitz Worldwide is a leading global online travel company that uses innovative technology to enable leisure and business travelers to research, plan and book a broad range of travel products.  Orbitz Worldwide owns a portfolio of consumer brands that includes Orbitz (www.orbitz.com), CheapTickets (www.cheaptickets.com), ebookers (www.ebookers.com), HotelClub (www.hotelclub.com), RatesToGo (www.ratestogo.com) and the Away Network (www.away.com).  Also within the Orbitz Worldwide family, Orbitz Worldwide Distribution (http://corp.orbitz.com/partnerships/distribution) delivers private label travel solutions to a broad range of partners including many of the world's largest airlines, and Orbitz for Business (www.orbitzforbusiness.com) delivers managed corporate travel solutions for corporations.  For more information on partnership opportunities with Orbitz Worldwide, visit corp.orbitz.com.  Orbitz Worldwide uses its Investor Relations website to make information available to its investors and the public at http://corp.orbitz.com/investors. You can sign up to receive email alerts whenever the company posts new information to the website.

SOURCE Orbitz.com