San Francisco Residents Among Most Likely to Be Traveling this Holiday Season, According to Inspirato/Harris Survey

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Adults in San Francisco are among the most likely of adults in America’s largest cities to have travel plans this holiday season, according to new research released today by private vacation club Inspirato. Three in five (59 percent) of San Francisco residents plan to take at least one trip for personal reasons over the holidays, compared to only 49 percent of all adults in the largest U.S. cities.

Family bonding appears particularly important to San Francisco residents. Among San Franciscan travelers, 72 percent cited spending time with family as a top motivator for braving holiday travel.

The survey, conducted online by Harris Interactive for Inspirato, polled more than 2,500 adults in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. San Francisco tied with Washington, D.C., as the cities with the highest percentage of residents (59 percent) who will to be traveling for personal reasons over the holidays, defined by the survey as beginning around Thanksgiving and ending right after the new year. Residents in Boston (41 percent), Los Angeles (45 percent) and Philadelphia (45 percent) are least likely to report travel plans.

Additional survey findings include:

The majority (73 percent) of holiday travelers this year will do so via car or SUV. However, fewer travelers from San Francisco will be traveling by car or SUV (63 percent); close to half plan to travel by plane (48 percent).
San Francisco travelers are also among the most likely of adults in major U.S. cities to be traveling within their state (56 percent, compared to 36 percent overall).
Overall, men are more likely to be traveling for personal reasons this holiday season than women (54 vs. 45 percent).
On average, travelers are planning to spend around $1,300 on their upcoming holiday travel, including transportation, accommodations, food and entertainment. San Franciscans plan to spend below the average on their holiday travel, approximately $1,150. Residents in New York City plan to spend the most – about $2,000 – while Atlanta residents plan to spend the least, about $900.
The top reason adults cite for not traveling this holiday season is a lack of funds; 47 percent of overall respondents and 44 percent of San Francisco respondents cite this as their top travel deterrent. Overall, women (51 percent) are more likely than men (41 percent) to cite finances as a reason not to travel this season. Interestingly, adults earning $75,000 or more per year are more likely than those earning less than $75,000 to point to high travel expenses during the holidays as a reason not to leave home (26 percent vs. 13 percent).
More than one in 10 respondents among all cities polled plan to take a vacation in 2013 specifically to recuperate from the 2012 holiday season.

Methodology

This study was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Inspirato between October 4-15, 2012 among 2,507 respondents 18 years or older in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. No estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated; a full methodology is available. Data tables can be found at: www.inspirato.com/HolidaySurvey.

About Inspirato

Designed specifically for a new generation of luxury consumers, Inspirato (In – spuh – rah – toh) offers the best of destination club consistency and service, together with unmatched value, flexibility and low-cost membership. Our members have access to an ever-growing portfolio of luxury vacation homes in the world's top destinations, including California, the Caribbean, Colorado, France, Hawaii, Italy, London, Mexico, New York City and more. By leasing vacation properties (rather than owning), Inspirato is able to keep membership fees low, offer up to 50 percent off market rates, and easily add homes and destinations as demand increases. Our innovative business model has led to rapid growth since our January 2011 launch, placing Inspirato at the forefront of the "luxury for less" movement. For more information, please visit www.inspirato.com.

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll^® and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers proprietary solutions in the areas of market and customer insight, corporate brand and reputation strategy, and marketing, advertising, public relations and communications research. Harris possesses expertise in a wide range of industries including health care, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Additionally, Harris has a portfolio of multi-client offerings that complement our custom solutions while maximizing our client's research investment. Serving clients in more than 215 countries and territories through our North American and European offices, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us - and our clients - stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.