Fall travel surveys show a marked disconnect between the Labor Day holiday weekend and the rest of the fall travel season’s numbers. Compared to last year, anticipated Labor Day figures are down while expected fall travel is much more upbeat.

Klamath Lake - Fall travel

According to the AAA, 31.5 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the Labor Day holiday weekend. This is a 2.4 percent decrease from 2010, and that’s without factoring in the impact of Hurricane Irene.

Travel providers in the Northeast are reporting significant cancellations for Labor Day from those affected and still dealing with flooding and cleanups in Irene’s wake.

According to a TripAdvisor survey published before Irene hit the East Coast, 28 percent of travelers intend to travel for Labor Day weekend this year, same as last year.

Sixty percent of those traveling expect to drive, and 34 percent plan to fly. Twenty-six percent will take outdoor trips, 24 percent will take city escapes and another 24 percent will take beach trips.

“AAA is projecting a decrease in the number of Labor Day travelers as some Americans react to recent economic uncertainty and increasing air fares,” said Glen MacDonell, director, AAA Travel Services. “While automobile travel is expected to increase slightly, if recent declines in gasoline prices continue through Labor Day, we could see an increase in last-minute holiday weekend travel.”

The fall travel numbers are a lot more optimistic. According to the annual Travel Leaders fall travel trends survey, 55.3 percent of its 443 agents responded that fall bookings are higher compared to last year’s.

When asked for a personal outlook on business for the remainder of 2011, an overwhelming 71.1 percent of respondents say that they were optimistic, while 20.5 percent are neutral about it.

Roger E. Block, president of Travel Leaders Franchise Group, said, “We are encouraged that Americans—whether for business or leisure—are continuing to travel, and more frequently than a year ago despite the uncertainty we’ve seen recently in our country’s economic indicators.”

The TripAdvisor survey similarly shows a lot of pent-up optimism for fall travel, with 86 percent of travelers planning leisure trips this fall, compared to 74 percent that say they traveled for fun last autumn.

Thirty-seven percent of travelers in the TripAdvisor survey say they intend to spend more than they did last fall on leisure trips, while 46 percent plan to spend about the same amount. Nearly half (48 percent) feel the fall is the most economical season to travel.

The top fall destinations in the TripAdvisor survey are New York City, Las Vegas, Orlando, Chicago and San Francisco. Travel Leaders agents indicate their most booked fall destinations are Las Vegas, Orlando, Honolulu, New York City and Kahului (Maui), Hawaii.

Photo – Walter Siegmund

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With Labor Day just around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about fall travel, especially as it’s one of the most economical “shoulder season” times of the year to travel. And according to TripAdvisor’s latest fall and Labor Day survey, released today, the number of U.S. travelers planning to take a trip this fall jumped to 86 percent, representing a 12 percent increase over last year’s 74 percent response.

Of the 1,600 respondents with fall travel plans, 56 percent are planning weekend getaways, while 35 percent will vacation for one week. More than two-thirds said that their travel plans for autumn have not been impacted by recent economic news, while 37 percent plan to spend more than they did last year on fall leisure trips and 46 percent intend to spend the same as in 2010.

For Labor Day, 28 percent have travel plans for the long holiday weekend, equal to last year’s survey results. Among those respondents, 60 percent expect to drive, and 34 percent plan to fly. Twenty-six percent will take an outdoors trip, 24 percent will take a city escape, and 24 percent will take a beach trip. Traffic is the worst part of traveling for Labor Day for 40 percent of respondents, while 16 percent cited it being depressing that Labor Day represents the end of summer.

For autumn travel overall, 40 percent are planning a city trip, 28 percent will make cultural trips, and 27 percent will try to extend summer by hitting the beach. Fall foliage viewing was the top ranked fall activity, at 43 percent, followed by wine tasting/visiting a vineyard (29 percent) and attending a state/county fair or fall festival (23 percent).

Which destinations are U.S. travelers planning to visit this fall? New York City, Las Vegas, Orlando, Chicago and San Francisco.

Additional fall travel findings:

• 69 percent said they will stay in a hotel, 30 percent at the home of family or friends and 20 percent intend to stay at a vacation rental (respondents could choose more than one answer)
• Fewer crowds than summer (23 percent) and climate being more pleasant than during summer (22 percent) are the top two reasons travelers enjoy trips in the fall.
• 27 percent of travelers are planning to travel to a hurricane susceptible destination.
• 65 percent of travelers intend to take a domestic leisure trip this fall, while another 23 percent will travel both domestically and internationally, and 11 percent will take international-only trips.
• 70 percent of travelers will drive to their fall vacation destinations, while 69 percent plan to fly (percentage exceeds 100 due to some respondents taking more than one trip).

Photo: kimberlykv (via Flickr)

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