From Food to Music to Sporting Events, 87% of Respondents Indicate that

 Travel Involving Personal Interests Will Remain the Same or Increase Over

                             the Next Two Years



    NEW YORK, July 29 /EMWNews/ -- From jetting overseas for a culinary

experience to a desire to learn life-enriching skills while on vacation,

travelers are intent on continuing to pursue travel experiences that allow

them to indulge in their personal interests despite the softening economy,

according to a recent survey of 501 U.S. adults by American Express Travel.

Indeed, 87% of respondents indicated that the number of vacations involving

one or more personal "passions" would either remain the same or increase

over the next two years; of those, 28% indicated that they expect the

number to increase.



    These findings may come as somewhat of a surprise in light of the fact

that 90% of respondents indicated that they feel the US economy is

currently in or edging toward a recession. But at least 60% of respondents

say that it's because travel is so important to their mental health and

lifestyle that they have not let economic concerns impact their plans.

Although these travelers are not immune to the softening economy, they are

still moving ahead with their vacation plans but acting more resourceful in

their planning. Taking savvy approaches to travel, 66% of respondents are

tapping into rewards points or miles earned to offset costs, 58% are

visiting more affordable destinations, and 24% are taking shorter

vacations.



    "Given the uncertain economy, we wanted to see how people's passions

drive behavior when it comes to travel," says Audrey Hendley, vice

president of marketing, American Express Travel. "The survey results

overwhelmingly show that people whose vacations are tied to personal

interests intend to continue to travel by taking advantage of money-saving

resources, such as rewards programs."



    The Purpose-Driven Vacation



    From cooking and fitness to theatre and the arts to fashion and

spectator sports, the survey found that personal interests are key drivers

in vacation decisions. A few interesting facts:



    -- 87% of travelers indicate that personal interests drive the majority

of their vacation plans



    -- 60%* of travelers say the stronger they feel about a passion, the

further they've traveled for it



    -- 57%* of respondents are willing to travel any distance to explore

their personal interests



    -- 36% of those surveyed said they wouldn't consider a vacation

destination that doesn't help them fulfill at least one personal passion



    -- 71%* of respondents have discovered a "new passion" while on

vacation



    -- 34% of vacationers have discovered a passion on vacation and

incorporated it into their home life



    *% - agree strongly/somewhat on a 4-point scale.



    Vacations that incorporate personal passions also tend to be longer by

almost double the number of days compared to those trips that do not

include personal interests (16 days versus 9); more frequent (6 trips

versus 3); and more expensive ($3,900 versus $2,400).



    America's Favorite Passions



    While the survey showed that Americans have a broad array of passions

and interests, here are just a few popular ones:



    Culinary Interests: A growing number of travelers are inspired by the

desire to expand their culinary horizons. In fact, 42% of respondents said

that culinary factors, including the ability to try new cuisine and indulge

in truly exotic/native dishes, were extremely/very important to their

travel choices. This was particularly true among the younger respondents

(18-34 year-olds), of which more than half (55%) said the ability to enjoy

distinctive culinary experiences while on vacation was either extremely or

very important.



    Sporting Events: 28% of respondents have traveled to attend a sporting

event in the past.



    Adventure: 25% of respondents have taken a vacation in pursuit of

adventure and thrill from hiking to whitewater rafting.



    Music: 21% of respondents have taken a vacation that included attending

concerts and/or music festivals.



    Educational travel: More than 15% of respondents reported traveling to

delve deeper into the history and/or culture of a particular destination.



    At American Express Travel



    Many travel counselors at American Express Travel report seeing an

increasing number of travelers book vacations with specific interests in

mind. For example, one travel counselor arranges travel for a horse racing

aficionado client that travels faithfully throughout the year following the

circuit, from the Kentucky Derby to Preakness and Belmont. Another travel

counselor reports working with a group of travelers that visits London

every year to enjoy the latest theater productions. Other travel counselors

routinely get requests from clients interested in visiting the best

destinations around the world for surfing or skiing. And many travel

counselors attribute the growing draw to Africa to the increasing number of

photography and nature aficionados in pursuit of their passions.



    "The great benefit of American Express Travel is that we have hundreds

of travel counselors that have expertise in categories of travel-

adventure, safari, ski -- as well as expertise in an endless list of

destinations listed on americanexpress.com/travel," says Hendley. "In

addition, American Express Travel offers vacation experiences customized

not only for any traveler or personal interest, but also for every budget."

    About the American Express Travel Survey



    Data for this travel survey was collected via an online poll conducted

by Harrison Group on behalf of American Express Travel of 501 consumers

across the U.S. The poll was fielded in early June 2008. All statistics

reflect the percentages of consumers polled.



    About American Express Travel



    American Express entered the travel agency business in 1915 and today

is one of the largest travel agency networks. The company has Travel and

Foreign Exchange Services locations worldwide.



    American Express Company (http://www.americanexpress.com) is a leading global

payments, network and travel company founded in 1850.



    About Harrison Group



    Harrison Group (http://www.harrisongroupinc.com) is one of the country's

leading marketing and strategic consulting firms. Based in Waterbury,

Connecticut, Harrison Group specializes in concept testing, forecasting,

segmentation, branding and market modeling for some of America's leading

companies, including financial service firms, software, and technology

companies, retailers, consumer package goods companies, pharmaceutical

manufacturers and interactive entertainment companies.