Survey: Tipping Point For Travel Is $3.50
wcbstv.com
Summer is less than a month away, and while gas prices continue to rise along with the heat, Americans are sticking with their summer travel plans...to an extent. A survey released by the Travel Industry Association on Thursday shows motorists remain upbeat, but if the average price of gas rises to $3.50 per gallon, they may reconsider traveling.
“The good news is that we expect more travel this summer,” TIA president and CEO Roger J. Dow said. “But if prices rise above $3.50 per gallon, it appears that many Americans may change their travel plans."
According to the survey, when asked how their plans would change if prices tip the scale, the most frequest responses were "takes fewer trips this summer" and "cancel my trip."
Others say they would simply drive a shorter distance to a closer vacation spot or just wait it out and hope that gas prices fall at some point.
But will that happen? Nearly 90 percent of motorists polled say they expect gas prices to keep rising.
Last year, survey results showed that Americans planned 1.6 trips for the summer on average. That number actually rose this year to 1.8 despite the price hike.
Still, 16 percent of travelers polls said whether gas rises to $3.50 or $4.50 per gallon, their summer plans wouldn't be changing.
The national survey of 1,546 leisure travelers was conducted in April 2007, and the estimated margin of error is +/-2.2% at the 95% confidence level.
