Page 35 - Summer 2014

per person per day spend, there NSAA National Survey of Summer slide with you in the winter doesn’t are clear differences in the level of Destination Travelers mean you can’t get them to visit with expectations being met by the aver- This national panel survey of U.S. des- you in the summer months. Summer age dollars spent per person per tination travelers achieved a nationally is the biggest travel season in the U.S. day. Operators whose expectations representative sample of 1,351 com- because of school breaks and pleasant were exceeded report the average pleted surveys. In order to qualify, each weather for road trips. per day spend at $121 per person. respondent must have taken at least The most popular type of sum- s Summer and winter have different one overnight trip in the summer of mer trips among the summer travel- crossover patterns. Winter visitors 2013; therefore, responses reflect cur- ers in the survey are trips to visit family are more likely to cross over into rent summer travel patterns and deci- or friends (48 percent), a city trip, an summer than summer visitors into sion-making factors. Additionally, ocean/beach trip, a casino trip, tour- winter, though about one-third of respondents were required to earn at ing trip, theme park trip, and a special operators did not know whether least $40,000 in household income event trip (each 20 percent or higher). their winter guests visited in sum- annually. People visiting a mountain area for a mer or vice versa. Both these vis- The survey provided an insight- summer trip represented 13 percent of itor groups continue to show ful glimpse into U.S. summer travelers, the respondent group. potential for increased crossover most of whom are not skiers or snow- Of the sub-group of all respondents into the opposite season. boarders. But just because they don’t that had traveled to a mountain area Figure 2. Average Rating of Amenity’s Financial Success *.(,$ *(#$ 1$/ /) -2,1 (, - 01$/ (.*(,$ ,-.5 -2/ -.$0 ' **$,&$ -2/0$ $##(,&0 $$1(,&0 +(*5 $2,(-,0 2,&$$ "$,(" (%1 (#$0 *(+!(,& ** #3$,12/$ "$0 (,( -*% $01(3 *0 -,"$/10 -4,'(** -2,1 (, ()(,& -*% ()(,& -2,1 (, ()(,& (0" -*% *.(,$ *(#$ SUMMER 2014 | NSAA Journal | 33 w w w.nsaa. org NSAA Summer 2014 prepressed v6a.indd 33 7/3/14 4:20 PM