Vacation Costs Up 3.7 Percent, AAA Survey Shows
Washington, D.C. - 5/30/2007
Travelers will not see any relief in their wallet this year with average combined lodging and restaurant costs up 3.7 percent over last year, according to AAA's Annual Vacation Costs survey.
"Rate increases for lodgings are mostly a result of supply and demand, especially in major markets," said Michael Petrone, director, AAA Tourism Information Development, which oversees the popular AAA Diamond Ratings. "For both lodgings and restaurants, rising energy costs as well as salary and benefit costs are certainly having an impact."
AAA's survey shows that a family of two adults and two children can expect to pay an average $269 per day for food and lodging. Lodging rates will average $152 a night, up nearly 7.9 percent from last year. Meals will cost $118, down 1.3 percent from 2006.
The most expensive state for vacationers remains Hawaii where the daily cost of food and lodging for a family of four will average $650 per day. Other destinations with a high average daily cost include the District of Columbia at $611; Rhode Island, $345; New York, $326; and New Jersey, $324.
Travelers looking for bargains can head to: North Dakota, with an average daily cost of $187; Nebraska, $199; Iowa, $201; Kansas, $201; and South Dakota, $204.
For the first time ever, AAA also assessed average daily travel costs for top U.S. cities. Honolulu ranked highest, with food and lodging for a family of four costing $584 per day. New York and Miami Beach followed with $524 and $409 per day respectively. The most economical choices include Albuquerque, N.M, with a day of food and lodging costing $165, Wichita, Kan., $169, and Mesa, Ariz., $180.
Rising gas prices coupled with the increase in vacation costs makes it important for travelers to maximize their vacation dollars. AAA.com helps consumers save money by planning ahead. Travelers can locate AAA Approved and Diamond rated lodgings and restaurants along their travel route and find the cheapest place to buy gas along the way. Travelers can use AAA's Fuel Cost Calculator (fuelcostcalculator.com) to determine ahead of time how much money they can expect to pay for fuel during their trip.
AAA has been tracking vacation costs since 1950 when the average daily cost of meals and lodgings for a family of four was $13.
AAA's meal and lodging costs are based on prices from more than 60,000 AAA Approved and Diamond Rated® lodgings and restaurants listed in AAA's widely distributed TourBook® guides. Annually, members request some 20 million copies of the printed TourBook guides and view some 24 million TourBook listings on AAA.com.
As North America's largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides more than 50 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. AAA clubs can be visited on the Internet at www.aaa.com.
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