Summer Travel Season: 2013 Vacationers Are Already Spending

BURLINGTON, Mass., May 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Burst Media (http://burstmedia.com), a leading online media company and wholly owned subsidiary of blinkx PLC (LSE AIM: BLNX), today released the results of a survey covering summer vacation plans. Conducted in mid-May, the survey of more than 670 online U.S. adults aged 18 or older revealed that more than one-half (53.7%) of all respondents plan to take a vacation this summer; one-sixth (15.9%) do not plan to vacation, and nearly one-third (30.5%) are still unsure of their summer vacation plans. The study also found that one-half (51.1%) of respondents who plan to take a summer vacation are not procrastinating and have already started spending on their summer vacations, and 44.9% still need to secure tickets, book a hotel or make some other travel related purchase.

Overall, one-third (33.3%) of respondents prefer to get some R&R without going far, and plan to take a "staycation" this summer, choosing a stay-at-home holiday rather than travel. These "staycationers" prove that the adage that "I need a vacation from my vacation" may well be true, including not only 42.3% of respondents who say they will not be traveling at all during the summer, but also 28.5% of respondents who plan to take an additional vacation away from home. Interestingly, significant portions of all income segments plan to "staycation" at some point during the summer, including 31.9% of respondents reporting household income of $75,000 or more. The top reasons to take a "staycation" include:

• The desire to save money (43.1%)
• The need to catch up with projects around the house (32.2%)
• Family/kids activities and obligations (31.5%)
• Plans to visit local sites or engage in local activities (22.1%)
• Do not want to travel (12.5%)

"Our study revealed significant opportunity for marketers in the summer holiday season which, thanks to eager travel planners spending early, has already begun," said Mark Kaefer, Marketing Director for Burst Media. "This is the time for travel advertisers, local merchants, and even CPG advertisers to get online and engage their potential customers."

The Burst study also explored respondents' online travel video viewing habits and found that one-third (33.1%) either frequently or occasionally watch online video featuring travel content.  Viewership of online travel video is highest among respondents 18-34 years where one-half (51.0%) either frequently or occasionally watch. Overall, viewers are looking to explore a travel locale before making their visit, with one-third (32.4%) of respondents saying the type of travel videos they typically view are about specific travel destinations. With a summer spot settled on, the next most popular category is video about activities available at a travel destination (28.9%), followed by video about a specific hotel/resort/campground (24.3%), then video reviews about a specific destination (22.7%) and finally videos reviews about specific hotel/resort/campground (20.2%).

Download the full "Plans and Preferences for Getting Away This Season" Online Insights report (PDF) at http://burstmedia.com/pdf/burst_media_online_insights_2013_05.pdf.

About Burst Media
Founded in 1995, Burst Media represents thousands of independent web publishers. Through a select group of vertical channels, built around areas of specific interest, Burst connects advertisers with audiences across the web's most dynamic communities in a social, engaging way. A wholly owned subsidiary of blinkx PLC (LSE AIM: BLNX), Burst is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, with sales offices throughout the United States and in the UK.

Visit us at http://burstmedia.com or call +1 (781) 852 5200 for more information.

SOURCE Burst Media