Full
body scans preferred over "pat-downs"
at checkpoints.
Also, planned travel on the rise.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA— Nearly
half of American leisure travelers feel that airport
passenger screening techniques are inadequate.
In the national State of the American Traveler
survey conducted this week by Destination Analysts,
47 percent of American leisure travelers reported
they either “Agreed” or “Strongly
agreed” that airport screening techniques
were not sufficient. Only one-in-five travelers
believe that passenger screening is adequate.
Travelers
are also seven times more likely to prefer full-body
scanning technology versus pat downs at security
checkpoints. In a follow-up question, Destination
Analysts discovered that the majority (57%) of
travelers are either “Comfortable” or “Extremely
comfortable” with the use of such technologies—with
only about 15 percent being "Uncomfortable" or
“Extremely uncomfortable” with full-body scans.
Other
notable early findings of the study include Americans’
expectations for their future travel and spending
appears to be on the mend. 33 percent expect to
increase the number of leisure trips they will
take in the coming year, up from 28 percent last
July. Meanwhile, only 14 percent of American leisure
travelers expect to cut back on their travel,
compared with 20 percent last July. Similar improvements
were seen in expectations for spending on leisure
travel, with both areas approaching 2008 pre-recession
levels.
“We
expect to see modest increases in domestic leisure
travel and spending in the upcoming year,"
says Erin Francis-Cummings, Managing Partner of
Destination Analysts. "Despite economic pressures
and security threats and uncertainty, Americans
are more upbeat about their travel prospects than
they were six months ago."
The
State of the American Traveler Survey is
conducted every six months by Destination Analysts.
The Winter 2010 survey was conducted online amongst
a nationally representative sample of adult Americans.
From January 5th-6th, surveys were collected from
persons who had traveled at least once in the
past 12 months for leisure. In total, 1,011 travelers
completed the survey, which has a reliability
of +/- 3.1%.
The
final report will be available on Monday, January
25 at www.destinationanalysts.com. A preview of selected results can be found below.
ABOUT
DESTINATION ANALYSTS:
Destination Analysts is a San Francisco-based
market research company specializing in the travel,
tourism and lifestyle industries. Founded in 2003,
the company provides research solutions to organizations
charged with growing the economic impact of tourism
to their business or community.
For
more information on The State of the American
Traveler study, please contact Erin Francis-Cummings
at (415) 716-7983 or erin@destinationanalysts.com,
or you can visit www.destinationanalysts.com.
SELECTED
RESULTS: THE STATE OF THE AMERICAN TRAVELER SURVEY,
JANUARY 2010:
The
data below represents answers given by a nationally
representative sample of 1,011 adult American
leisure travelers. A complete report on the survey’s
findings will be available later this month.
Q:
In the past twelve (12) months, how many trips
have you taken of more than 100 miles (round-trip)
for purely leisure or personal reasons?
| |
One |
|
15.9% |
| |
Two |
|
18.9% |
| |
Three |
|
13.8% |
| |
Four |
|
11.6% |
| |
Five |
|
10.0% |
| |
Six |
|
7.7% |
| |
Seven to Ten |
|
10.6% |
| |
Eleven to Twenty |
|
8.2% |
| |
Twenty one to Thirty |
|
1.9% |
| |
More than Thirty |
|
1.3% |
| |
|
|
|
| |
Average |
|
4.7 trips (Up from 4.5
in July,2009) |
Q:How
many of these leisure trips were day trips (no
overnight stay)?
| |
Zero |
|
38.1% |
| |
One |
|
20.0% |
| |
Two |
|
13.5% |
| |
Three or more |
|
28.5% |
| |
|
|
|
| |
Average |
|
2.3 trips |
Q:
How many of these leisure trips were primarily
by automobile?
| |
Zero |
|
7.7% |
| |
One |
|
21.4% |
| |
Two |
|
18.9% |
| |
Three |
|
13.2% |
| |
Four |
|
8.6% |
| |
Five or more |
|
30.3% |
| |
|
|
|
| |
Average |
|
3.9 trips |
Q:
In the next 12 months, do you expect to travel
more or less for leisure than you did in the most
recent 12 month period? (Select one)
| |
I expect to travel more for
leisure |
|
33.1% |
| |
I expect to travel about the
same for leisure |
|
53.3% |
| |
I expect to travel less for leisure |
|
13.6% |
Q:
In the next 12 months, do you expect to spend
more or less for leisure travel than you did in
the most recent 12 month period? (Select one)
| |
I expect to spend more on leisure
travel |
|
32.6% |
| |
I expect to spend about the
same on leisure travel |
|
49.7% |
| |
I expect to spend less on leisure travel
|
|
17.7% |
Q:
In the past 12 months, which (if any) of the following
kept you from traveling more for leisure than
you would have otherwise preferred? (Select all
that apply)
| |
Personal financial reasons |
|
56.5% (Down
from 66.4% in July, 2009) |
| |
Gasoline was too expensive |
|
41.6% |
| |
Airfare was too expensive |
|
31.8% |
| |
I was too busy at work |
|
29.5% |
| |
I didn’t have enough vacation time
|
|
19.2% |
| |
Safety concerns |
|
12.0% |
| |
Child care responsibilities |
|
11.8% |
| |
Other personal responsibilities |
|
10.9% |
| |
Health/Illness |
|
10.8% |
| |
I did not have a travel companion(s) |
|
6.8% |
| |
Lack of availability (at hotels, golf courses,
etc) |
|
1.8% |
Q:
Using the scale below, please indicate your agreement
with this statement:
The
Transportation Security Administration's (TSA)
passenger screening techniques are currently not
sufficient to ensure my safety when traveling
by air.
| |
Strongly agree |
|
18.8% |
| |
Agree |
|
27.7% |
| |
Neither agree nor disagree |
|
34.0% |
| |
Disagree |
|
16.4% |
| |
Strongly disagree |
|
3.1% |
Q:
Recent events have raised the issue of the additional
screening of airline passengers to detect possible
threats (e.g., weapons, hidden bombs, etc.) If
given a choice, which would you personally prefer
be used to screen passengers?
| |
Full body scanner machines (full-body
scanners allow TSA officials to look under
clothing for any contraband) |
|
66.7% |
| |
Full body pat-downs of passengers |
|
9.2% |
| |
Either- I am indifferent between the two |
|
24.1% |
Q:
Which best describes your personal comfort level
with being examined by airport security in a full
body scanner when passing through airport security?
| |
Extremely comfortable |
|
24.5% |
| |
Comfortable |
|
32.4% |
| |
Neutral (neither comfortable nor uncomfortable)
|
|
27.1% |
| |
Uncomfortable |
|
10.5% |
| |
Extremely uncomfortable |
|
5.4% |
Q:
Approximately how much IN TOTAL did you spend
on your most recent domestic leisure trip (50
miles or more one-way from your home)?
| |
Zero to $250 |
|
37.7% |
| |
$251 to $500 |
|
26.4% |
| |
$501 to $750 |
|
6.6% |
| |
$751 to $1,000 |
|
10.1% |
| |
$1,001 to $1,500 |
|
6.3% |
| |
Over $1,500 |
|
12.9% |
| |
|
|
|
| |
Average: |
|
$795 |
Q:
At most, how many miles (one-way) would you typically
be willing to travel for a weekend getaway trip?
| |
Under 100 |
|
9.2% |
| |
100 to 250 miles |
|
48.3% |
| |
251 to 500 miles |
|
28.1% |
| |
500 to 1000 miles |
|
8.0% |
| |
Over 1000 miles |
|
5.5% |
| |
|
|
|
| |
Average: |
|
403 miles |
|
