Travel Bookings Dip Slightly, Auto Travel Continues to Rise In AAA National Travel Barometer

    ORLANDO, Fla.--May 29, 2003--Americans' summer vacation planning surge paused last week as Americans planned for -- and took -- Memorial Day drive trips, according to the most recent AAA National Travel Barometer.
    The National Travel Barometer for the week of May 19 to May 25 showed overall travel agency bookings - cruises, tour packages, car rentals and hotels - at 33,900 bookings, down 1 percent from the 34,200 bookings the previous week. It was the first such decline in six weeks.
    Online TripTik(R) routings increased for the ninth straight week to 157,000 from 146,000 the previous week -- a 7 percent increase. These trip routing requests are now 52 percent higher than they were before the U.S.-Iraq war and reflect, in part, the 35 million Americans who were projected to take Memorial Day trips. Of these holiday travelers, AAA projected 29.4 million (84 percent) would drive.
    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.
    "Travel agency bookings normally drop off during holiday periods as Americans shift from planning vacations to actually taking vacations," said AAA Travel Vice President Sandra Hughes. "That travel bookings remained largely unchanged during this holiday week demonstrates Americans' continued interest in making plans for summer travel."
    A summary of the National Travel Barometer's measurements for the week of May 19 to May 25:

--	Tour packages (9,200) were 98 percent of the previous week's total (9,400).
--	Car rental reservations (5,000) were at 96 percent of the previous week (5,200).
--	Hotel bookings (13,800) equaled 100 percent of the previous week.
--	Cruise bookings (5,800) equaled 100 percent of the previous week.

    Visits to AAA travel offices (36,700) were at 111 percent of the previous week (33,100), reflecting Memorial Day travelers picking up maps, TripTiks and TourBooks before their trips. (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.