Consumer Spending on Traveling for Pleasure

Abstract

America is a Nation of travelers. In 1997, consumers made over 443 million pleasure trips, an increase of more than 7 percent since 1995, and nearly 23 percent more than in 1990. According to results of the Consumer Expenditure Survey, nearly 41 percent of all consumer units interviewed in 1997 reported some expenditure for non-business travel. Pleasure trips and vacations are a major expenditure for many consumers, and accounted for nearly 7 percent of total quarterly outlays for those who report such expenditures, or almost as much as the average consumer unit spent on food at home.