AAA New Mexico Holiday Travel Poll: Less Spending, but Half Will Take at Least One Trip

Fifty-one percent of polled local residents said they plan on one or more holiday trips, compared to 48 percent last year, while 37 percent definitely won't take a trip (41 percent last year) and 12 percent are undecided (11 percent in 2010).

The 37 percent not taking a holiday trip cited several reasons, including:

• High gas prices (40 percent)


• Too many other expenses (39 percent)


• Rising household expenses for items other than gas (31 percent)


• Rising prices for travel (27 percent)

Of those who will be traveling in November and December, 58 percent plan to spend $1,000 or less on their getaways, compared to 56 percent last year who said they would spend under $1,000.

Forty-four percent of surveyed holiday travelers will take one trip in November or December, 45 percent will take two, and 11 percent will take three or more. Last year, 46 percent said they would take one trip, 41 percent were taking two, and 13 percent were taking three or more.

Many more New Mexico residents plan to visit family over this holiday season compared to last year (74 percent compared to 57 percent in 2010), while fewer local travelers will be sightseeing (34 percent vs. 67 percent last year), pursuing a hobby or sport (15 percent vs. 29 percent in 2010), or going to a spa or just relaxing (12 percent vs. 22 percent in 2010).

"We are seeing some price sensitivity on the part of travelers because of the economy and high gas prices, but we also see that travel is viewed as a high priority and people will continue to fit trips into their budgets however they can," said Ana Gonzalez, AAA New Mexico regional manager. "Fortunately, travel providers are recognizing this also and are offering many family budget-friendly deals and significant discounts for early bookings."

Of those polled who indicated they would travel this holiday season, 43 percent will take at least one trip within New Mexico, while 27 percent plan to visit Arizona, 26 percent will visit California, 21 percent will visit Colorado and 16 percent will visit Texas.

AAA New Mexico's Holiday Travel Poll was conducted online by the AAA Marketing Research Department along with the Holiday Shopping Poll, which was released last week. The poll surveyed 314 AAA New Mexico members between Oct. 4 and Oct. 20. It has a margin of error of +/-5 percent and the differences between 2011 and 2010 results were tested for statistical significance at a 95 percent confidence level.

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