Recent research from Miles Partnership and Longwoods International on U.S. road trips reports that more than $51.3 billion in direct spending is generated by road trip travelers.
The South Atlantic region has seen a significant increase in the share of road trips during the last 20 years. Nearly a quarter of all road trips in the U.S. are taken in this region.
Road trip travelers are more likely than overall leisure travelers to use hotels directly to plan their trips, as well as online travel agencies, destination websites and social media.
These travelers are also more likely to participate in entertainment and outdoor activities than leisure travelers in general.
Activities such as sightseeing, shopping, historic sites, museums and parks are among the most popular for road trip travelers. They are also more likely to seek out unique or local food experiences. More than a quarter of road trips are 5 nights or longer.
Story courtesy Visit NC NewsLink, a weekly e-newsletter from the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. NewsLink provides information to nearly 4,800 tourism industry leaders, media and government representatives across the state. It distributes valuable information on Visit NC’s marketing and promotional efforts, tourism-related research, state, national and international trends, media leads, updates on conferences and events, and more.