The second Family Travel Association (FTA) Travel Summit is currently underway at Westin La Paloma Resort in Tucson, Arizona. During the opening State of The FTA, survey results were revealed from industry members, as well as the U.S. Family Travel Survey conducted by New York University. The findings? More and more families are hitting the road with kids!
New York University compiled its second annual U.S. Family Travel Survey with more than 2,600 respondents. The survey revealed that 96 percent of families plan to travel with kids in the next two years. In the last year, families took 4.02 domestic vacations and 1.26 international vacations with kids, with most families traveling with children ages 6 to 12. However great the desire to travel more is, 50 percent surveyed did not use all of their paid vacation days. The most common challenge for travel was affordability, despite the income range of those surveyed, followed by finding free time with schedules of both parents and children.
The FTA’s first-annual Industry Survey also showed similar results among its members, made up of media, associations, destinations, tour operators, hotels, dude ranches, cruise lines and theme parks. Eighty percent of those surveyed reported the family travel market is growing robustly or moderately. Not one member said the industry was declining. Driving the growth? Parents wanting to spend quality time traveling with their kids.
Full results of both surveys will be released on the Family Travel Association’s new website. Follow along with summit events on social media: #FTASummit.
–Lissa Poirot
Our team of parents and travel experts chooses each product and service we recommend. Anything you purchase through links on our site may earn us a commission.
