Texas Travel Up - Pump Prices Down; AAA Texas Monthly Fuel Gauge Report

    HOUSTON--May 16, 2002--Leisure travel in Texas is bouncing back since the beginning of the New Year as prices at the pumps decline.
    Since Jan. 1st to April 29th, there has been an increase in car rentals, cruises, hotel reservations and tour bookings. This is how the travel figures stack up, according to AAA Travel:

          Car rentals         up 8.3%
          Cruises             up 43.6%
          Hotel bookings      up 18.9%
          Tour bookings       up 18.9%
          Air                 down 40%
          *Comparisons from Jan. 2002 to April 2002

    "Traditionally, Texans choose driving vacations over any other type of travel," said Rose Rougeau, spokesperson for AAA Texas. "That continues to be true this summer, but there has been a significant increase in cruise bookings probably because of the many cruise bargains offered earlier this year."
    Five of the major summer travel destinations for Texans, according to an AAA Texas survey, are Austin (TX), New Orleans (LA), Orlando (FL), Las Vegas (NV), and Albuquerque (NM).
    As travelers head out to their destinations, they will be paying less to get there. The statewide average price for self-serve regular is $1.33, down two pennies since a month ago.
    The nationwide average price of self-serve regular gasoline is $1.40 a gallon. This compares to an average price of $1.72 - a record-high reached a year ago.
    "Motorists are paying an average of 25 cents less today, than they were a year ago," added Rougeau.
    AAA's Fuel Gauge Report is based on data from the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS) - the nation's most comprehensive source of petroleum pricing information.
    AAA Texas, an affiliate of the American Automobile Association, has been serving Texans since 1902. AAA Texas offers its members a full service travel agency, auto-related and financial services, as well as public safety programs and legislative advocacy.

                  AAA Texas Monthly Fuel Gauge Report
           (Average price for a gallon of regular self-serve
                     in 17 selected Texas cities)

Metro             State         May '02         May '01       Apr. '01
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Abilene            TX            1.376           1.609         1.382
Amarillo           TX            1.278           1.648         1.304
Austin             TX            1.305           1.521         1.319
Beaumont           TX            1.310           1.538         1.344
Brownsville        TX            1.308           1.491         1.365
Corpus Christi     TX            1.316           1.477         1.374
Dallas             TX            1.393           1.670         1.394
El Paso            TX            1.372           1.541         1.377
Fort Worth         TX            1.381           1.661         1.381
Houston            TX            1.366           1.636         1.379
Laredo             TX            1.378           1.567         1.401
Longview           TX            1.354           1.610         1.332
Lubbock            TX            1.284           1.608         1.308
Midland            TX            1.323           1.582         1.390
Odessa             TX            1.340           1.554         1.387
San Antonio        TX            1.286           1.493         1.303
Waco               TX            1.302           1.551         1.307
Average            TX            1.334           1.574         1.356

                     (May '02)         (May '01)
                     ---------         ---------
   National            $1.40             $1.72           down .32
   Texas               $1.33             $1.57           down .24