• June 30, 2009

With the holiday weekend coming, Chicago-based Mintel is out with a survey saying 60% of travelers won't be straying too far from home. The first says six in ten tourists will take their own car rather than fly; 62% said they spent recent vacations with family and friends. Only 30% went to beaches and 30% visited cities.

In 2007, when the economy was stronger, fewer people reported vacationing with family and friends (56%), while a full 42% went to cities.

Once at vacation destinations, 42% said they would stay with friends or relatives. In 2007, 80% that said they stayed in hotels. Fifty-seven percent of Americans say they will take shorter trips near home and 64% will user cheaper transport to get where they're going.

Mintel's survey points to relaxation as the number one goal of vacationers: nearly three in four (72%) said they consider being able to relax completely as an essential vacation element. On the contrary, only one in three (34%) rank a "high standard of accommodation and facilities" as essential to their enjoyment.--Karl Greenberg