Travelers Trending to SMARTCATIONS This Summer
Research shows North Americans plan to take short value-focused getaways in 2011 and British Columbia is emerging as a top destination
(Vancouver, BC) June 10, 2011 – Research released by travel expert Pauline Frommer today shows that the STAYCATION is set to be overtaken by the SMARTCATION this summer. A SMARTCATION is an emerging trend where travelers are finding creative ways to get the most value possible from short getaways.
A North American-wide survey conducted in Spring 2011 found that:
-More people are planning to take vacations this summer than
they did in the past two summers.
-Short getaways of four days or less are becoming more popular.
-57% of North American travelers plan to take a short summer vacation of 4 days or less.
-Most important considerations for travelers are value for money, followed by destinations that are naturally beautiful, those that have reasonable travel times to home destinations and those that have a diversity of things to do.
-65% of North American travelers plan to spend the same amount of money or more than they did on travel last year.
“I think the trend is clear”, said Frommer. “After a few summers of sticking around home and taking Staycations, people want to get out and start exploring again. While many travelers might not yet be in a position to take a two week holiday overseas – most are interested in a four day getaway to a destination where they can experience a wide variety of new things. The focus has really become getting the most value possible from the vacation time you are able to take.”
Going on a SMARTCATION often means adding an extra day off to a holiday long weekend, making destinations with direct flights or shorter driving times the trendiest. Another way travelers are creating SMARTCATIONS is by extending business trips.
Frommer recently experienced her own four-day SMARTCATION in British Columbia that included everything from observing bears in Whistler to visiting Vancouver restaurants that rank amongst the best in North America.
“I really think B.C. is going to be the hot spot for North American travelers this summer. It has something for everyone, you can go mountain biking one day, wine tasting the next, and finish off your trip in Vancouver or Victoria, two of the most beautiful and multicultural cities in the world,” said Frommer.
To help get North Americans started on planning their own SMARTCATION, Tourism B.C. has set up
www.smartcation.com, where travelers can get ideas for their own trip and also enter to win a dream $20,000 Smartcation to B.C.
For additional survey results or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Paul Marr
Optimum PR
(O) 604-647-6288
(C) 778-231-1256
paul.marr@cossette.com
About Pauline Frommer:
Pauline Frommer is the co-host, with her father Arthur Frommer, of The Travel Show which is now heard on over 130 radio stations across the United States. She is the creator of the Pauline Frommer Guidebooks, the budget series within the Frommer guide series. Her written work has appeared in Budget Travel Magazine, Marie Claire, Nick Jr., the Dallas Morning News, MSN, Bing Travel, MSNBC and a number of other magazines, newspapers and websites. She served as the founding editor of Frommers.com and from there became the travel editor of MSNBC.com for several years.
About Super, Natural British Columbia®:
Set between the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Rocky Mountains to the east, British Columbia, Canada is the ultimate outdoor playground and was home to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. In all, it boasts six diverse regions and is a sophisticated, multicultural hub.
Travel Trend Additional Stats:
From May 26 to May 27, 2011, Vision Critical conducted an online survey among 1,009 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Vision Critical Forum panelists, and 1,005 randomly selected American adults who are SpringboardUSA panelists. Some of the highlights of the survey include the following:
1) Thinking about THIS SUMMER and any trips you have just taken or may take, do any of the following statements describe your current plans:
-I intend to take a short summer getaway (four days or more in total)
US - 59% Canada - 56% North American Combined Total - 57%
-I intend to take a long summer vacation (five days or more in total)
US - 40% Canada - 45% North American Combined Total - 40%
2) Thinking about your travel plans from the PAST two summers, do any of the following statements describe your summer travel behavior?
-I have taken a short summer vacation getaway (of four days or less in total)
US - 50% Canada - 53% North American Combined Total - 52%
-I have taken a long summer vacation (five days or more total)
US - 34% Canada - 48% North American Combined Total - 42%
3) Compared to the last two years, do you plan to spend more money on your summer travel plans this year, about the same as in the past, or less money than in the past:
-I plan to spend more money on my summer travel plans this year
US - 21% Canada - 21% North American Combined Total - 21%
-I plan to spend about the same amount of money
US - 42% Canada - 45% North American Combined Total - 44%
-I plan to spend less money on my summer travel plans this year
US - 31% Canada - 27% North American Combined Total - 29%
4) When considering a summer getaway, what are the five most important attributes when selecting a destination for your short trip?
-Provides Value for money
US - 52% Canada - 56% North American Combined Total - 55%
-Is Naturally Beautiful
US - 40% Canada - 47% North American Combined Total - 44%
-Has a reasonable travel time to my home destination
US - 40% Canada - 43% North American Combined Total - 42%
-Offers a diversity of things to see and do
US - 39% Canada - 37% North American Combined Total - 38%
-Has a variety of things to do to fill each of my days
US - 39% Canada - 35% North American Combined Total - 37%
The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1% for each country, and +/- 2.2% for the entire North American sample of 2,014 respondents. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of Canada and the United States discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.
