AAA's First Monthly ``Travel Barometer''
TAMPA, Fla.--March 13, 2002--Traveling by auto retained its appeal in the month of February, while air travel and several other travel indicators continued to show signs of recovery, according to the latest AAA Auto Club South "Travel Barometer" comparing monthly travel statistics.The statistical snapshot illustrates travel planning activity for the Southeast as measured at 70 AAA branch offices in Florida, Georgia and Tennessee. AAA Auto Club South is the largest retailer of travel products and services in the Southeast, serving AAA members and the general public. This barometer compares February 2002 travel trends with the same month in 2001.
Trip Tik(R) travel routings requested by motorists consistently reflect the increase in already-popular road travel. Attraction ticket sales for February were 113 percent of the previous February and hotel reservations are continuing upward at 106 percent of last year.
Airline ticket sales were 71 percent of the same month in 2001, but have climbed steadily since hitting 55 percent of the previous year's total in September.
"Travel showed us some very healthy signs of recovery in February," said Kevin Bakewell, Senior Vice President for Public and Government Relations at AAA Auto Club South. "Robust hotel reservations and attraction ticket sales are two very good signs of America's return to travel," he added.
Here is a summary of the sales measurements for February compared with the same month in 2001:
| -- | Revenue from the sale of tickets for theme parks and other attractions came in at 113 percent of year-ago levels ($5.06 million vs. $4.47 million) in February. |
| -- | Customer activity in AAA's 70 branch offices measured 99.4 percent of last year's numbers (90,829 office transactions vs. 91,376 for same month in 2001). Transactions used to measure this activity include the sale of tours, cruises and airline tickets as well as travelers cheques, luggage, passport photos and other travel planning purchases. |
| -- | Motorist requests for AAA's auto travel routings, called TripTiks(R), rolled in at 114.6 percent of last year's level in February (46,288 vs. 40,373 a year ago). |
| -- | Hotel reservations checked in at nearly 107 percent of last year's levels during February, and well above the 75 percent of last year seen the week before the attacks on New York and Washington D.C. (16,008 vs. 15,003 rooms in February a year ago). |
| -- | Airline ticket sales came in at 71 percent of February 2001 levels ($5.8 million vs. $8.1 million in the year-ago period). |
| -- | Overall travel agency sales, comprised of cruises, tours and airline tickets, came in at 89.1 percent of February 2001 ($29.3 million vs. $32.9 million for the same month one year ago). |
| -- | Cruise and tour sales (non-air travel sales) lined up at 95 percent of last year's levels for the month ($23.5 million vs. $24.7 million for February 2001). |
The "AAA Travel Barometer" was initiated in September to help government and industry leaders accurately measure how the airline hijackings and tragic attacks on our country are impacting travel and tourism. By sharing this precise, proprietary travel information, AAA Auto Club South is continuing its long tradition of protecting and supporting the Freedom to Travel that all Americans treasure.
The report and comparative color charts are posted on the AAA web site at http://www.aaasouth.com, under the "Freedom to Travel" link.
AAA Auto Club South has more than 3.4 million members in Florida, Georgia and Tennessee. It is the largest travel agency in the Southeast, and one of the top ten leisure travel agencies in the nation.
AAA is the largest membership travel organization in the world with 45 million members in the United States and Canada. AAA celebrates its 100th Anniversary this month.