Drive Trips Continue to Interest Most Americans, AAA Barometer Shows

    ORLANDO, Fla.--May 22, 2003--As the Memorial Day holiday approaches, interest in drive trips continues to rise as online AAA TripTik(R) routings increased for the eighth consecutive week.
    The National Travel Barometer for the week of May 12-18 showed Online TripTik(R) routings were up 37 percent since the week of March 30-April 5, from 106,900 that week to 146,000 last week. During the upcoming Memorial Day holiday, 84 percent of the 35 million Americans who will travel 50 miles or more from home will go by motor vehicle.
    The AAA barometer is based on a sample of 13 clubs representing more than half of the association's 46 million members. It is intended to help gauge the strength of the leisure travel market.
    "Not only are Americans taking more leisure auto trips, but they are increasingly looking to get off major highways to find back roads that offer scenic beauty and include historic sites that help make the drives more enjoyable," said AAA Travel Vice President Sandra Hughes.
    Overall AAA travel agency bookings -- cruise, tour packages, car rental and hotels -- increased 4 percent last week (34,200) as compared to the previous week (32,900).
    A summary of the National Travel Barometer's measurements for the week of May 12 to May 18:

--	Tour packages (9,400) were 106 percent of the previous week's total (8,900).
--	Hotel bookings (13,800) totaled 104 percent of the previous week (13,300).
--	Car rental reservations (5,200) were at 104 percent of the previous week (5,000).
--	Cruise bookings (5,800) were at 102 percent of the previous week (5,700). (All numbers are rounded to the nearest hundred.)

    Visits to AAA travel offices at the 13 clubs surveyed were at 105 percent (33,100) of the week of May 5-11 (31,500). (All numbers are rounded to the nearest hundred.
    As North America's largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides its members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully-tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers.