American Pulse(TM): 59% Say Economy Impacting Vacation Budget This Year

* Reuters is not responsible for the content in this press release.

Tue Apr 28, 2009 1:21pm EDT 

  COLUMBUS, OH, Apr 28 (MARKET WIRE) -- 
Close to three in five (58.7%) Americans say that the down economy has
affected their vacation plans, according to the April American Pulse(TM)
Survey of 4,023 respondents. As a result, many are making changes to
their travel behaviors.

    According to the survey, the top ways consumers are coping are by reducing
the total number of overnight stays at a hotel (30.5%), looking for a
local get-away that does not require air travel (27.4%) and cutting back
on quality of hotel (20.4%). (For complimentary list and additional data:
http://americanpulse.bigresearch.com.)

    Additionally, consumers weighed in on BIGresearch and Artafact's blog
regarding if the economy has affected their summer vacation plans.

    Has the down economy affected your summer vacation plans?

    "Absolutely! We are not going to go on vacation at all this year. Instead
we'll be staying home and doing a few day trips."

    "Not at all. In fact, we're going to Hawaii for the first time in August.
...Wanting to do something memorable and be together is infinitely more
important than any economy."

    "Summer vacation plans are top of mind for consumers," said Linda
Stegeman, President of Artafact. "On the blog, they seem to be split on
whether plans will change due to the economy, but everyone is still
watching their spending and looking to save money wherever they can...
including vacations."

    To voice your opinion on the BIGresearch Blog:
http://peoplevoice.ning.com/

    About American Pulse(TM)

    The American Pulse(TM) Survey is collected online by BIGresearch every
month exclusively utilizing Survey Sampling International's (SSI) U.S.
panel covering topics such as politics, pop culture and the economy. Over
4,000 respondents participate, providing greater insights into how
Americans really feel about issues they currently face. The use of the
online blog as a listening post to develop the questions posed in the
monthly American Pulse survey is a very effective use of both online
qualitative and quantitative research. http://www.bigresearch.com

    About Artafact

    For researchers who need a quick and easy solution for conducting online
focus groups, Artafact is a virtual focus group facility that replicates a
traditional focus group in a collaborative online environment. Artafact
bulletin boards support consumer generated content, allowing respondents
to create and manage discussion threads. More information is available at
www.artafact.com.

    About Survey Sampling International (SSI)

    Survey Sampling International is the premier global provider of sampling
solutions for survey research. SSI offers access to more than 6 million
consumer and business-to-business research respondents in 54 countries via
Internet, telephone, and mobile. Additional client services include custom
profiling, survey programming and hosting, data processing, sampling
consulting, and survey optimization. SSI serves more than 1,800 marketing
research clients, including nearly three-quarters of the top researchers
worldwide. Founded in 1977, SSI has an international staff of 400 people
representing 50 countries and 36 languages. The company is based in
Shelton, CT with 14 additional offices worldwide.
http://www.surveysampling.com

    

Contacts:
BIGresearch
Chrissy Wissinger
Email Contact
614.846.0146

SSI
Diane Urso
Email Contact
203.567.7236

Copyright 2009, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

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