FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Leisure Travel Trends for Georgia’s Top Family Vacation Destinations by Worldwide Lodging Directory Rentalo.com

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

Miami, FL. March 7, 2010 – Rentalo.com, a worldwide leader of vacation rentals, bed and breakfasts, and hotels, is publishing a series of trend analysis studies on its database of 850,000 opted-in travelers in 15,000 destinations worldwide.  Below, the lodging web site reveals the study findings on 13,867 opted-in travelers who searched for vacation rentals in Georgia’s top leisure destinations from July 2008 to January 2010.  This study data confirms recent travel expert’s predictions about consumer’s interests in comparison shopping when searching for hotels.  Additionally, the lodging website shares some interesting statistics on vacation planning habits, and vacation themes for these popular vacation destinations in the state of Georgia.

Travel Trends for Georgia’s Top Leisure Destination: Helen

Helen Comparison Shopping Trends: According to the study, 60 percent of the vacation planners who inquired for a place to stay showed interest in comparison shopping among Helen vacation rentals, bed breakfasts, and hotels. 50 percent also accepted offers from cabins and other lodging properties in the vicinity of Helen which includes Sautee, Sautee Nacoochee, Cleveland, Clarkesville, Suches, Cornelia, Hiawassee, Blairsville, Blairsville, and Dahlonega.
Helen Vacation Planning Trends:  58 percent were from last minute travelers inquiring within the last 30 days prior to the arriving to their lodging in Helen, 20 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 22 percent from travelers who inquired 1 to 2 months in advance.
Helen Vacation Themes: Helen’s most popular vacation theme is romance with 42 percent of the inquiries requesting accommodations for 2, 32 percent for families with children, 33 percent for groups of more than 4 adults, and 3 percent for people traveling alone.

Travel Trends for Georgia’s Top Leisure Destination: Blue Ridge

Blue Ridge Comparison Shopping Trends: According to the study, 65 percent of the trip planners showed interest in comparison shopping among Blue Ridge vacation rentals, cabins, bed and breakfasts, and hotels.  64 percent showed interest in staying in the vicinity of Blue Ridge which includes Mineral Bluff, Ducktown, and Ellijay.
Blue Ridge Vacation Planning Trends:  39 percent were from last minute travelers inquiring within the last 30 days prior to the arrival date, 21 percent were early planners who started their vacation planning 2 or more months in advance from the travel date, and 35 percent of the inquiries were sent 1 to 2 months in advance.
Blue Ridge Vacation Themes:  The most popular vacation theme for Blue Ridge is family reunions with 49 percent of the traveler’s inquiries requesting accommodations for groups of more than 4 adults, 42 percent for families with kids, 28 percent for couples, and 2 percent for people traveling alone.

Travel Trends for Georgia’s Top Leisure Destination: Savannah

Savannah Comparison Shopping Trends: According to stats collected, 63 percent of the vacation planners showed interest in comparison shopping among Savannah vacation rentals, bed and breakfasts, hotels, and resorts.  17 percent showed interest in comparing quotes for other lodgings in Savannah area including Port Wentworth, Pooler, Daufuskie Island, Tybee Island, Richmond Hill, Hardeeville, Buckhead, and Bluffton.
Savannah Vacation planning Trends:  39 percent were from early planners travelers inquiring 2 or more months in advance, 35 percent of the inquiries coming from those who started their vacation planning within the last 30 days prior to their travel date, 23 percent of the inquiries were sent 1 to 2 months in advance.
Savannah Vacation Theme Trends:  The most popular vacation themes for Savannah area is family reunions with 41 percent of the inquiries requesting accommodations for groups of more than 4 adults, 35 percent for families with children, 29 percent for couples, and 6 percent for people traveling alone.

Travel Trends for Georgia’s Top Leisure Destination: St Simons Island

Simons Island Comparison Shopping Trends: 68 percent of the travelers who searched for short term accommodations showed interest in comparison shopping among St Simons vacation rentals, bed breakfasts, and hotels. 

St Simons Island Vacation planning Trends:  According to this study, 42 percent were from last minute travelers inquiring within the last 30 days prior to the arrival date, 33 percent of the travelers were early planners who started their vacation planning 2 or more months in advance from the travel dates, and 21 percent of the inquiries were from travelers who inquired 1 to 2 months in advance.  
St Simons Island Vacation Theme Trends:  St Simons Island’s most popular vacation theme is family vacations and reunions with 39 percent of the traveler’s inquiries requesting accommodations for groups of more than 4 adults, 39 percent for families with children, 30 percent for couples, and 3 percent for people traveling alone.

Travel Trends for Georgia’s Top Leisure Destination: Tybee Island

Tybee Island Comparison Shopping Trends: According to the study, 58 percent of the vacation planners who inquired for a place to stay showed interest in comparison shopping among Tybee Island vacation rentals, bed breakfasts, and hotels.
Tybee Island Vacation Planning Trends:  41 percent of the travelers were early planners who started their vacation planning 2 or more months in advance from the travel dates, 35 percent were from last minute travelers inquiring within the last 30 days prior to the arriving to their lodging in Tybee Island, and 21 percent from travelers who inquired 1 to 2 months in advance.
Tybee Island Vacation Themes: Tybee Island’s most popular vacation theme is family vacations with 48 percent of the inquiries requesting accommodations for families with children, 35 percent for groups of more than 4 adults, 25 percent for couples, and 4 percent for people traveling alone.

“Planning a family vacation is fun, but can be very time consuming.” says Frank Suarez, Customer Service Manager for Rentalo.com. “At Rentalo.com, we make it easy for travelers to compare value offers from vacation rentals, hotels, and bed and breakfasts that meet their specific lodging 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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