In what may be a good sign for the summer travel season, more Americans may go on road trips this Memorial Day weekend than they did last year to take advantage of discounted hotel rooms and a 39 percent decline in gas prices. In fact, according to AAA data, approximately 32.4 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home this holiday weekend, a 1.5 percent increase from 2008. The average price of a gallon of unleaded gas was $2.334 on May 19, compared with $3.80 a year ago, according to AAA.
In addition to road warriors, there is more good news on the travel front: Domestic airfares are as much as 10 percent less than last year’s Memorial Day weekend and hotel rates for the summer months have fallen as much as 14 percent from a year ago after the deepening U.S. recession cut demand.
So this may be the right time to go into your data base and reach out to clients who may have been holding off their vacation plans for the summer. Think of creative driving trips for families, and find hotel packages that are right for them and commissionable for you. Or point out the lower airfares and send them on a trip that just a few months ago, they didn’t think they could take.
Have a great Memorial Day weekend…and a busy and profitable summer!
