DESPITE NEED FOR SAFETY AND HIGH GAS PRICES, AMERICANS PLAN TO KEEP TRAVELING

	Survey reveals Americans traveling for leisure nearly every other month and will continue to take as many or more trips in the next 12 months; would travel even more frequently if gas was less expensive.
	SAN FRANCISCO, CA (August 15, 2006) — Destination Analysts, one of the tourism industry's premier marketing research companies, released the findings from its "The State of the American Traveler" study. The company surveyed 1,044 adult Americans who have taken at least one trip for leisure or personal reasons in the past year.
	The number of leisure trips taken in the past 12 months averaged 5.5, with nearly 90% of American travelers saying they expect to travel for leisure at the same rate or more next year. Other good news for the travel industry is that 44% of these travelers also plan to spend more on their leisure travel in the coming year.
	Safety is also on the American traveler’s mind. Approximately 10 percent of leisure travelers said that safety concerns kept them from traveling more than they would have otherwise preferred in the past 12 months. When asked to evaluate what attributes were most important to their destination choices, “safety” came out on top, with 89% selecting it as important or very important. “This survey reveals that, even before last week’s foiled terrorist plot, Americans valued safety in their destination choices,” says Destination Analysts founder David Bratton.
	Asked where they would most like to visit in the coming year, the most popular domestic destinations were Las Vegas, New York City, and Orlando/Disneyworld.
	A four-page summary of “The State of the American Traveler” study can be downloaded at www.destinationanalysts.com/AmericanTravelerSummer06c.pdf
	About Destination Analysts: Based in San Francisco, California, Destination Analysts (www.destinationanalysts.com) is one of the travel industry’s premier boutique marketing and research consultancies. Destination Analysts was established in 2003 to pioneer affordable, technology-based market research and marketing solutions for tourism and lifestyle-related businesses. The company’s portfolio has quickly grown to include Jackson Wine Estates, the Fiji Islands Visitors Bureau, the United States Forest Service, and DDB-Seattle. The needs of our clients are carefully analyzed and are the centerpiece of everything we do. David Bratton, founder of Destination Analysts, says it best, "Our entire reason for existing is to help our clients thrive, and our goal is always to provide them with affordable and innovative methods to make their marketing soar."