Summer travel trends indicate plenty of Arizonans staying in state

PHOENIX — Three out of four Arizonans plan on taking summer vacations this year.

“We see travelers making plans to visit the beach, theme parks, explore cities in the state, and across the globe,” spokesperson for AAA Arizona Michelle Donati said.

AAA asked Arizonans their summer plans and conducted a survey showing summer travel trends, finding that 71 percent are planning to travel this summer.

Of those, 37 percent are planning to take one vacation, while 30 percent are planning to take between one and three trips.

However, only four percent are planning to travel three or more times.

Of those surveyed, 32 percent plan on keeping their travel plans close to home and are traveling within the state.

“It’s shaping up to be an excellent year for summer travel. It’s interesting because Arizona is home to so many wonderful destinations.” Donati said, “If you are planning on staying in state this summer there are still plenty of options available for you. It is not just going to a hotel and staying the night.

“These properties offer full experiences – where your kids can swim with mermaids, play with pirates and see fireworks.”

Those with cross-country and international travel plans were also closely split at 19 percent and 18 percent.

More than a third of travelers plan to book their summer travel through a third-party website, like AirBNB. While about 24 percent plan to book directly through the hotel’s website. However, one of the most unique trends AAA is seeing this summer is house guests.

“Twenty-nine percent said they have no need to book a room, as they are planning to stay with family or friends,” Donati said.

As Arizona gas prices continue to rise, over half of those surveyed, 61 percent, plan to cut costs by using discount programs to find hotels, car and other travel-related discounts.

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