Californians to Take to the Road This Summer in Huge Numbers

More Than 62 Percent of Those Polled Say They Are Planning Road Trips; 38 Percent Cite Concerns Related to September 11th Public-Private Partnership Offers Assistance to State Residents in Planning Trips & Rediscovering California SACRAMENTO, Calif., June 20 -- An estimated 62 percent of Californians say they are likely to take a driving vacation over 100 miles in California within the next six months, according to a recent survey on behalf of the California Travel & Tourism Commission. The poll also confirmed a major reason for the trend toward road travel: 38 percent of Californians say that the increased inconvenience of air travel since September 11 has made them more inclined to plan a driving vacation in California.

The survey is just one component of the Rediscover California summer travel campaign, a public-private partnership sponsored by the California Travel & Tourism Commission, BP, California Department of Parks and Recreation and the California Department of Consumer Affairs, Bureau of Automotive Repair.

Today's announcement was made on the eve of the first official day of summer, traditionally California's busiest travel season and typically a very competitive time of year for the travel industry.

"Summer is to travel, like the holidays are to the retail industry," said Caroline Beteta, Executive Director, California Travel & Tourism Commission. "Overall, it's a make or break season. Because of this, we have banded together with key players in state government, as well as those in the private sector, to provide consumers with a package of travel resources they can use to help plan the summer road trip of a lifetime."

28 Recommended Driving Tours

BP, an ongoing Rediscover California partner, is the principal underwriter for "The Best of California Driving Tours," a guide featuring famous and little-known locations across the Golden State. The guide boasts 28 distinct tours, including "From the Capital to the Coast" in Northern California, "Sequoia Splendor" in Central California and "The Star Treatment" in Southern California. BP also sponsored the "Best of California" TV series.

The drive guide will be available in most AM PM mini markets and at more than 2600 "visitor-oriented" locations beginning July 1 and is currently available online at www.visitcalifornia.com.

State Parks: A Great Destination

The travel survey supports what the California Department of Parks and Recreation surmised through anecdotal data.

"People are planning further ahead for road trips and reservations have outpaced attendance growth starting last fall," said Ruth Coleman, Acting Director, Department of Parks and Recreation. "We're encouraging day trips this summer, like driving to Big Basin Redwoods State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains to celebrate its 100th anniversary."

Tips for Keeping Your Car on the Road

The survey also confirms that more Californians will be on the road than ever. In anticipation of these summer road trips, the Bureau of Automotive Repair has prepared a "Summer Driving" car care tips brochure for getting cars road-trip ready. Following such simple steps as getting a pre-trip inspection before hitting the road can help Californians save time, money and the headache of having their trips interrupted or even cut short because of a car breakdown.

"Getting involved with the Rediscover California summer tourism campaign is another way for the Bureau of Automotive Repair to remind consumers to drive smart this summer," said Patrick Dorais, Acting Chief, Department of Consumer Affairs, BAR. "The Bureau is celebrating 30 years of protecting Californians, and we want to remind consumers about the valuable resources we have to help them -- including tips on how they can prepare their cars for a road trip."

Copies of the summer driving brochure are available by calling the Bureau of Automotive Repair at 1-800-952-5210.

The California Travel & Tourism Commission survey was conducted by StrategyOne. The telephone survey was completed among 547 Californians conducted between June 7-17th. Margin of error is plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.