FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Vacation Planning Trends for Tennessee’s Top Family Vacation Destinations
by Lodging Directory Rentalo.com

Consumer’s Trends on Hotels versus Vacation Rentals Comparison Shopping, Vacation Planning, and Themes for Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Ashville, and Lake Norris

Miami, FL. March 6, 2010 – Rentalo.com, a leading lodging and vacation rental directory that facilitates comparison shopping for travelers worldwide, is publishing a series of trend analysis studies based on inquiries submitted by its database of opted-in travelers to its broad inventory of vacation properties in close to 15,000 destinations worldwide.  In this release, the lodging directory reveals the study findings for 17,015 opted-in travelers who searched for vacation rentals in Tennessee’s top destinations from July 2008 to January 2010.  The study validates consumer’s increasing interest in hotels versus vacation rentals comparison shopping.  Additionally, the lodging website shares some interesting stats on vacation planning and vacation themes for these popular vacation destinations in the state of Tennessee.

Vacation Planning Trends for Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Pigeon Forge Comparison Shopping Trends: According to the study, 48 percent of the vacation planners who inquired for a place to stay showed interest in comparison shopping among Pigeon Forge vacation rentals, bed breakfasts, and hotels. 40 percent also accepted offers from cabins and other lodging properties in the vicinity of Pigeon Forge which includes Smoky Mountains, Sevierville, Gatlinburg, Wear Valley, Seymour, Kodak, Townsend, Walland, Cosby, and Dandridge.
Pigeon Forge Vacation Planning Trends:  44 percent were from last minute travelers inquiring within the last 30 days prior to the arriving to their Pigeon Forge lodging, 33 percent of the travelers were early planners who started their vacation planning 2 or more months in advance from the travel dates, and the remaining 20 percent from travelers who inquired 1 to 2 months in advance.
Pigeon Forge Vacation Themes: Based on the numbers, Pigeon Forge’s most popular theme is family vacations with 45 percent of the inquiries requesting accommodations for families with children, 41 percent for groups of more than 4 adults, 27 percent for couples, and 3 percent for people traveling alone.

Vacation Planning Trends for Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Galinburg Comparison Shopping Trends: According to the study, 56 percent of the trip planners showed interest in comparison shopping among Gatlinburg vacation rentals, cabins, bed and breakfasts, and hotels.  72 percent showed interest in staying in the vicinity of Gatlinburg which includes Smoky Mountains, Pigeon Forge, Wear Valley, Sevierville, Townsend, Cosby, Seymour, Walland, and Kodak.
Gatlinburg Vacation Planning Trends:  41 percent were from last minute travelers inquiring within the last 30 days prior to the arrival date, 34 percent were early planners who started their vacation planning 2 or more months in advance from the travel date, and 23 percent of the inquiries were sent 1 to 2 months in advance.
Gatlinburg Vacation Themes:  The most popular vacation theme for Gatlinburg is family vacations with 44 percent of the traveler’s inquiries requesting accommodations for families with kids, 41 percent for groups of more than 4 adults, 26 percent for couples, and 5 percent for people traveling alone.

Vacation Planning Trends for Asheville, Tennessee

Asheville Comparison Shopping Trends: According to stats collected, 59 percent of the vacation planners showed interest in comparison shopping among Asheville vacation rentals, bed and breakfasts, hotels, and resorts.  61 percent showed interest in comparing quotes for lodging in Asheville area including Burnsville, Weaverville, Arden, Candler, Fletcher, Black Mountain, Canton, Horse Shoe, and Bat Cave.
Asheville Vacation planning Trends:  Stats show that vacation planning is dominated by last minute planners with 49 percent of the inquiries coming from those who started their vacation planning within the last 30 days prior to their travel date, 20 percent of the inquiries were sent 1 to 2 months in advance, and 28 percent were from early planners travelers inquiring 2 or more months in advance.
Asheville Vacation Theme Trends:  The most popular vacation themes for Asheville area is romance with 40 percent of the inquiries requesting accommodations for 2, 34 percent of the inquiries requesting lodging for groups of more than 4 adults, 30 percent for families with children, and 6 percent for people traveling alone.

Vacation Planning Trends for Norris Lake, Tennessee

Norris Lake Comparison Shopping Trends: 60 percent of the travelers who searched for short term accommodations showed interest in comparison shopping among Norris Lake vacation rentals, bed breakfasts, and hotels.  68 percent showed interest in lodging quotes from nearby destination Andersonville.
Norris Lake Vacation planning Trends:  According to this study, 46 percent of the travelers were early planners who started their vacation planning 2 or more months in advance from the travel dates, 18 percent of the inquiries were from travelers who inquired 1 to 2 months in advance, and 32 percent were from last minute travelers inquiring within the last 30 days prior to the arrival date.  
Norris Lake Vacation Theme Trends:  Norris Lake’s most popular vacation theme is family reunions with 62 percent of the traveler’s inquiries requesting accommodations for groups of more than 4 adults, 52 percent for families with children, 20 percent for couples, and 2 percent for people traveling alone.

“Planning a vacation or trip can be fun, but it takes time.” says Frank Suarez, Customer Service Manager for Rentalo.com. “At Rentalo.com, we make it easy for travelers to quickly and easily compare value offers from vacation rentals, hotels, and bed and breakfasts that meet their specific needs.”

Travel editors, experts, and other media publications interested in similar data pertaining to other vacation destinations, or additional consumer data statistics and facts such as budget, amenities, length of stays, peak seasons, and inventory data should contact Rentalo directly.  

About Rentalo.com
Rentalo.com is a leading online travel lodging and vacation rental website. Its broad inventory of vacation rentals, bed and breakfasts, and hotels is available online and via RSS feeds, affiliate distribution partners, as well as thousands of journalists and editors through e-mail, press releases, and travel publications. Through selected partnerships, Rentalo's inventory is available to an online audience of more than 100 million travelers in the United States and abroad.  For more information, visit http://rentalo.com or call 1(305) 558-5577.

Media Contact:
Carolina Plata
c.plata@rentalo.com
1-305-558-5577 ext 607

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