As the peak summer travel season begins, U.S. travelers plan to hit the road in record numbers, according to the latest Travelhorizons survey of 2,300 U.S. adults conducted by marketing services firm MMGY Global.
The most recent survey reveals 70% of Americans plan to take at least one leisure trip between now and October 2013, compared to 65% in March 2007, just as the country was slipping into the Great Recession.
The price of air travel is now cited by the majority (54%) of respondents as the greatest financial deterrent to leisure travel.
Among the 27 financial factors measured in the survey that are known to influence demand for travel services, concerns increased for 22. The “high level of credit card debt” (53%), the “expectation that either the respondent or spouse/partner would lose their job” (52%) and “making less money this year” (52%) were most significant.
The most frequently cited non-financial factor influencing travelers’ decisions is “lack of time.”
The survey also tracks changes in customer satisfaction with the services provided by four categories of travel service suppliers: airlines, lodging companies, rental car companies and cruise lines. The biggest change observed in customer satisfaction during the most recent calendar quarter was for the airline industry, for which the results tumbled eight points from February 2013 (95.5) to 87.5 in April. Satisfaction with lodging companies (112.2), rental car companies (114.4) and cruise lines (119.6) all remained within three points of their respective February 2013 scores.