With the economy still sputtering, summer vacations are on the chopping block for many people this year. In fact, a recent consumer survey from Bing Travel (conducted by Impulse Research) found some interesting items about consumers’ current attitudes and behaviors on vacations and travel.

  • 66 percent of Americans are more likely to actually choose their vacation destination based on deals and discounts.  30 percent of survey respondents left paid vacation days on the table last year because they felt they did not have the money to go on vacation.
  • The quest for travel deals also takes up a lot of people’s valuable time, with 91 percent of survey respondents cited visiting multiple websites when researching and booking travel and 20 percent spending at least 10 hours researching trips before booking and 59 percent spending a minimum of 3 hours. 
  • One-third of survey respondents say they’d rather get a root canal then spend hours doing the research and planning needed to book a vacation these days.

Don’t despair as relaxing (and affordable) getaways are still out there. We combed through billions of fares to unearth a wealth of deals and pricing trends that can help resuscitate your summer travel plans.

Great Airfare Deals Still Exist:

  • Overall airfare is down from last year by between 3.3% – 4% depending on length of stay. This reversing the trend of price increases that we initially saw for the beginning of summer.
  • While many warm weather destinations are up on average between 6.5% - 6.6%, Florida has the biggest drop in prices.

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  • July and August are showing the biggest year-over-year decreases, with prices remaining steady to trending upward in September and October.

Hotels Are More Expensive, But Good Deals Can Be Found:

  • In general, hotels are trending more expensive across cities, with price increases between 1%-30%
    • Biggest increases – Paris, Rome
    • Biggest decreases – Toronto, Orlando
    • Cheapest city – Orlando, Las Vegas
    • Most expensive cities – New York, Paris

It’s not too late to have your summer vacation! Check out the great deals still available at Bing Travel and make the most of your summer!

- Kari Dilloo, Bing PR Team