D. VACATIONS BEHAVIOR AND ATTITUDES

Vacation Research

Similar to results in previous waves of the Market Profile Study, respondents report that they, themselves, are most likely to make the decisions about how and where to travel. Slightly more than half of vacationers (51%) and cruisers (53%) indicate that they research the details without help from outside sources. Two in five vacationers (42%) report that their spouse did the research either with (17%) or without (25%) their assistance. Cruisers mirror this pattern (41% with no outside help, 24%, spouse and 17% spouse with respondent assistance).

Interestingly, those who travel on destination and luxury lines are more likely than others to rely on someone other than themselves or a spouse. Such entities include: partner/companion (1% and 5%), children under 18 (2% respectively), adult children over 18 (1% and 5%), and another family member (0% and 3%), a friend (3% and 2%), a travel agent (0% and 2%), or someone else (unspecified) (0% or 2%).

FIGURE 16
VACATION INFORMATION RESEARCHER (% GATHERING INFORMATION) (Q1C)
BASE: CRUISERS/VACATIONERS