Americans Confess to Pre-Meditated Shopping While On Vacation
25 Outubro 2004 - 7:20AM
PR Newswire (US)
Americans Confess to Pre-Meditated Shopping While On Vacation
Orbitz Survey Reveals 51% of Vacationers Have Done Their Holiday
Shopping While Traveling CHICAGO, Oct. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- From the
designer jacket in New York, to the hand-blown wine glasses in
Napa, to the scandalous bathing suit in Miami, we treasure the
items we give for what they are as much as where they come from ...
whether they're presents for ourselves or others. A recent survey
of travelers by Orbitz, the site with more low fares, more hotels
and more cars, reveals that 51% have done their holiday shopping
while vacationing, ringing up an average of $2,000 on their most
extravagant out-of-town shopping sprees. (Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041025/CGM002 ) Just how
important is shopping to travelers? For almost three-quarters of
leisure travelers (73%), shopping is as important, or more
important, than nightlife when planning a vacation. In fact, 49% of
survey respondents admitted to purposefully leaving room in their
suitcase to bring back purchases made while traveling. Some take it
even further, buying an extra suitcase (17%) or even throwing
things away to make room for their new loot (4%). "People are
passionate about travel, and they're passionate about shopping,"
says John Samuel, Orbitz executive vice president for Consumer
Travel. "At Orbitz, we make it our business to take the guesswork
out of finding a great deal on travel for consumers who are
traveling to shop or just happen to shop while they travel." While
on vacation, serious shoppers are willing to sacrifice comfort to
come home with more items. To save more money for shopping, 21% of
respondents have booked a cheaper hotel, 19% have skipped a meal or
eaten a less expensive meal, and 16% have walked or taken public
transportation instead of taking a cab. According to the survey,
51% of vacationers have considered sales, outlet shopping and local
retail hot spots when planning a trip. As far as which is the best
city in the United States for shopping, respondents reported: --
New York (41%) -- Las Vegas (15%) -- San Francisco (14%) -- Los
Angeles (13%) -- Chicago (13%) People aren't just shopping in their
travel destinations; they're also shopping en-route. Sixty-three
percent of respondents have purchased gifts in airport gift shops.
Reasons include having time to waste in the airport (39%),
forgetting to purchase the gift while on the trip (23%), taking
advantage of duty-free items (21%), wanting to indulge themselves
(15%), wanting to buy something to entertain the kids (11%),
needing to spend extra currency (9%) and other (9%). And just who
is at the receiving end of all this gift buying? It's not only
friends and loved-ones. Fifty-four percent of vacationers admitted
to splurging on gifts for themselves that they wouldn't buy at
home. From now until December 18, Orbitz is partnering with the
award-winning shopping magazine Lucky to make planning a shopping
excursion easier than ever. The editors at Lucky have scoured eight
destinations -- Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New
York, San Francisco and Seattle -- for their favorite finds in
fashion, beauty, lifestyle, gifts and specialty items, as well as
great restaurants. Travelers can get all the information they need
to plan their shopping adventure while finding great deals on air
and conveniently located hotels when they log on to
http://www.orbitz.com/shop. Methodology Harris Interactive(R), via
its QuickQuery(SM) online omnibus, fielded the nine question survey
on behalf of Orbitz. This report presents the uncoded findings of
this online study conducted among a nationwide sample of 2,696 U.S.
adults comprising 1,282 men and 1,414 women 18 years of age or
older. The data were weighted to be representative of the total
U.S. adult population on the basis of region, age within gender,
education, household income, race/ethnicity and propensity to be
online. Interviewing for this omnibus survey was completed during
the period August 25 through August 30, 2004. The margin of error
for the total sample is plus or minus 2 percentage points. Please
see corresponding press release "Orbitz Partners with Lucky
Magazine to Make Shopping for Travel, and Traveling to Shop, Easier
than Ever." About Orbitz Orbitz is a leading online travel company
that enables travelers to search for and purchase a broad array of
travel products, including airline tickets, lodging, rental cars,
cruises and vacation packages. Since launching its website to the
general public in June 2001, Orbitz has become the third largest
online travel site based on gross travel bookings. On
http://www.orbitz.com/, consumers can search more than 455
airlines, as well as rates at tens of thousands of lodging
properties worldwide and at 22 car rental companies. For more
information on the company, visit http://www.orbitz.com/ .
Statements in this press release regarding Orbitz that are not
historical facts are forward-looking statements and are subject to
risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause such
statements to differ materially from actual future events or
results. Any such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to
the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. The following factors, among others, could
cause Orbitz' actual results to differ materially from those
described in a forward-looking statement: Orbitz' ability to retain
and attract customers on a cost-effective basis; increasing
competition from existing or new competitors; relationships with
Orbitz' controlling stockholders and with other travel suppliers;
limitations that could affect the expansion of our Supplier Link
business; risks relating to our ability to expand our business
generally; specific risks that could affect our ability to achieve
growth plans for portions of our business, such as hotels; rapid
technological change affecting our industry; technical and
operational issues, such as journey control restrictions, that
result from changes in travel suppliers' distribution methodologies
that could affect our results; risks associated with litigation or
government regulation; declines, disruptions or events affecting
the travel industry; potential fluctuations in our quarterly and
annual results. This list is intended to identify only certain of
the principal factors that could cause actual results to differ.
Readers are referred to the reports and documents filed from time
to time by Orbitz with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a
discussion of these and other important risk factors. Readers are
cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking
statements, which are made as of the date of this press release.
Orbitz undertakes no obligation to update or revise any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or any other reason. About Harris Interactive Harris
Interactive ( http://www.harrisinteractive.com/ ) is a worldwide
market research and consulting firm best known for The Harris
Poll(R), and for pioneering the Internet method to conduct
scientifically accurate market research. Headquartered in
Rochester, New York, Harris Interactive combines proprietary
methodologies and technology with expertise in predictive, custom
and strategic research. The Company conducts international research
from its U.S. offices and through wholly owned
subsidiaries-London-based HI Europe ( http://www.hieurope.com/ ),
Paris-based Novatris and Tokyo-based Harris Interactive Japan-as
well as through the Harris Interactive Global Network of
independent market- and opinion-research firms.
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041025/CGM002
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Orbitz CONTACT: Media,
Terri Shank of Orbitz, +1-312-894-4915, Web site:
http://www.orbitz.com/
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