AAA Texas Says Leisure Travel Rebounds as America is Back on the Move; Greater Number of Travelers than Pre 9/11

HOUSTON--May 1, 20048, 2004--Indicating a strengthening of the economy and pent up demand for leisure travel, Texans are booking more trips and expressing more confidence in traveling, according to an analysis by AAA Texas.

In the first 4 1/2 months of 2004, the AAA Travel offices of AAA Texas booked 51.4 percent more cruises and 5.8 percent more tours than the same period in 2000, the last full year before the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. The AAA Texas owns 23 AAA Travel offices across the state.

"This growth in sales indicates that consumers are feeling more comfortable about traveling than at any other time in the post 9/11 period," said George L. Clarke, general manager of AAA Texas. "Travelers are also proving to be more discriminating, seeking what they consider to be safe locations and shopping for discounts."

The three most popular destinations for Texans during the period from Memorial Day through Labor Day, based on air ticket sales, are Orlando, Honolulu and Seattle/Anchorage. Las Vegas, Orlando, New Orleans and Branson, Mo., were listed as destinations offering the greatest value for summer travel.

The most popular foreign destinations this summer are Rome, London and Zurich. International destinations thought to offer the greatest value were Cancun, Eastern Europe, Costa Rica and the South Pacific.

Based on total sales to date, AAA Travel projects summer business to increase 15 percent, with international bookings rising 33 percent over last year. Because of travelers' interest, some of the largest growth is projected for the Caribbean and Alaska markets.

AAA Texas, an affiliate of AAA National, has been serving Texans since 1902. Today, more than a million AAA Texas members benefit from the organization's roadside assistance service, travel agency, financial products, insurance products and services, automotive pricing, buying and financing, trip planning services, and traffic safety programs. Information about these products and services is available on AAA Texas' Web site at www.aaa-texas.com.