Southern Californians to spend less on holiday travel, poll says

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During the November and December holidays, Southern Californians are as likely to travel this year as last year but plan to spend less, according to a survey by the Automobile Club of Southern California.

For Thanksgiving and Christmas, 49% of Southern Californians polled said they planned to take one or more holiday trips, compared with 47% last year, according to a survey released Tuesday of more than 500 Auto Club members.

Of those who plan to travel during the holiday season, 60% said they planned to spend $1,000 or less on their trips, up from 52% of travelers last year, according to the survey.

‘We are definitely seeing more price sensitivity on the part of travelers because of the economy and high gas prices,’ said Auto Club Vice President Filomena Andre. ‘But we also see that travel is viewed as a high priority and people will continue to fit trips into their budgets however they can.’

Meanwhile, 39% of those surveyed said they won’t travel for the holidays, up from 37% last year. Of those who won’t travel, the most cited reasons included high gasoline prices and other rising expenses, the survey said.

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