Intl Travel Expected to Increase this Summer

(May 15, 2008 - Travel Daily News.com) -- In a first-ever summer forecast for foreign travel, AAA expects 25.1 million Americans will be travelling internationally this summer, an increase of 2.6 percent over the 24.5 million who were estimated to have traveled overseas last summer. The report includes all travel outside of the United States, including Canada and Mexico. According to the report, which was produced by Global Insight, American travelers will be spending $30.7 billion while traveling internationally during the months of June, July and August. American spending overseas will increase by 5.7 percent, primarily due to inflation and the weakness of the U.S. dollar compared to several major currencies.

“Americans are working harder and longer than ever, and they feel their vacation is a benefit that they have earned,” said Betsy Sell, Managing Director of Travel for AAA. “Foreign travel is still the ideal trip for many Americans, and summer is the prime season to go. So, Americans will rearrange their budgets and postpone some trips, but they are still interested in traveling abroad.”

Americans traveling overseas will be spending more this summer due to global inflation and the weaker U.S. dollar. The report estimates that Americans will be spending 5.7 percent more than they did last summer and international spending by U.S. travelers will reach $30.7 billion.  Canada and Mexico will see the largest amount of traveler spending, with American travelers planning to spend $5.6 billion in Mexico and $4 billion in Canada.

“The potential for Americans to travel overseas is enormous,” said Sell. “Americans love to travel and they have lost their anxiety about traveling internationally. Now, with more Americans required to get passports as part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), we are going to have more people looking to explore other parts of the world this summer.”

The Global Insight report is based on an economic model that includes data about the state of the U.S. economy, domestic spending, foreign exchange rates, historic travel data, travel inflation and other factors.

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