Site59
polled customers on their travel intentions for the Summer 2005 season.Ê Thousands of responses were compiled from people who traveled between December 13, 2004 and March 5, 2005, revealing trends in booking behavior, favorite summertime destinations and general vacation policies.Ê

ÊSite59 found that 89% of surveyed customers are planning to take a leisure vacation this summer, with 38% of them planning more than three trips.Ê The overwhelming majority, 95%, has not booked any travel yet, with half indicating that they will likely book within one month of departure.Ê When asked what will influence their decision, the most popular response was that customers are “waiting to be inspired,” which even outranked “waiting for the best deal.”Ê

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This summer, travel trends include renewed interest in travel abroad with 19% of customers looking to collect a new stamp on their passport.Ê Thirty eight percent will travel to the beach, while 17% are planning to head to the mountains, and 14% will visit big cities this summer.Ê Finally, 12% of customers indicate they never go to the same place twice.Ê

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In addition, people are being given more time off from work, with 73% of customers receiving more than three weeks paid vacation time each year.Ê Interestingly, 40% report unused vacation time, with the majority, 21%, carrying seven or more days over from the previous year.Ê Twenty eight percent indicated that they thought it would be difficult to take time off at all this summer.

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Ê“Companies are giving their employees more vacation days, and yet there is a good deal of unused vacation being left on the table each year.Ê For these dedicated workers, Site59’s Last-Minute Getaways are the perfect antidote, because people can re-charge their batteries over a weekend, without taking time off from work,” said Robert Albert, General Manager of Site59. “Or they can travel on a longer Getaway and really de-stress in a place that’s new and interesting.”
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