AAA Survey Shows Americans Will Travel to Support Economy, Save Jobs

    ORLANDO, Fla.--Oct. 4, 2001--Two-thirds of Americans said they would take a weekend trip if they knew it would help the economy and save jobs, a new survey released today by AAA shows.
    Sixty-seven percent of survey respondents said they would travel to out-of-town destinations in the next few months, visit nearby attractions and stay overnight in a hotel to help spark an economic recovery.
    More than half - 54 percent - of those who indicated they would take a trip also said they would spend $300 or more on a weekend getaway while another 26 percent said they would spend between $200 and $300. Approximately16 percent stated they would spend $200 or less.
    The national survey, conducted by Opinion Research Corp between Sept. 28-Oct. 1, sampled the opinions of 490 U.S. adults who had taken a leisure trip in the past 12 months. The margin of error for the survey is plus or minus 4.4 percent.
    When asked if they would spend more or less on trips than they did a year ago, 23 percent of respondents said they planned to spend more than they did a year ago, 52 percent expected to spend about the same and 23 percent anticipated spending less.
    "This is certainly good news for the travel industry which has been struggling mightily since the events of Sept. 11," said AAA Travel Vice President Sandra Hughes. "If people are now willing to travel, especially taking weekend trips by car, it shows they are becoming more comfortable and confident in resuming their normal activities.
    Travel is an important part of the economy since it's the third largest retail sales industry in the United States, employing one of every seven people in the civilian workforce.
    AAA also announced today that it is launching its "Come Back to Travel" campaign in conjunction with its clubs nationwide to stress the importance of travel for economic, family and recreational reasons.
    "The purpose of this campaign is to encourage Americans to put their travel dollars to work domestically to help support the economy and to reaffirm their freedom to travel," said AAA Travel Vice President Sandra Hughes.
    AAA plans to provide travelers with the most up-to-date and accurate travel information, travel tips and gas price information. Travel agents at AAA's 1,100 offices nationwide are prepared to provide the association's 44 million members and nonmembers with all the assistance they need to book their trips.
    "As the largest leisure travel agency in North America, AAA believes it has an obligation to help restore travelers' confidence so they will return to nation's roadways and airways," Hughes said. "A long-term downturn in the travel industry will affect the economy and ultimately impact all Americans in a negative way."
    In addition, travel agents at AAA's 1,100 offices nationwide are prepared to provide members with all the information they need to plan their trips.

    AAA news releases are available from http://www.aaa.com/news