From lodging brand preferences to leisure travel party composition and emerging attitudes about “green” travel, recent changes in the U.S. economy have resulted in fundamental shifts in the way Americans plan and purchase travel services.

The most recent findings may be found in the just-released Ypartnership/Yankelovich, Inc. 2009 National Travel MONITORSM, a nationally representative survey of 1,590 leisure travelers conducted during the first calendar quarter of 2009. The 186-page publication, now in its 18th year, contains a comprehensive examination of the travel habits, preferences and intentions of Americans. It serves a strategic planning tool for organizations specializing in marketing travel, leisure and entertainment services. 

“It seems that now, more than ever, there is an urgent need for insight into the emerging behavior of American travelers,” said Peter C. Yesawich, chairman and CEO of Ypartnership, one of the nation’s leading marketing agencies serving travel, leisure and entertainment clients. “And the insights revealed in the 2009 National Travel MONITORSM are particularly relevant because they enable marketing professionals to develop more effective marketing strategies in the current economic environment.”

The respondent base of the survey is representative of the population of all active adult leisure travelers in the U.S. who have taken at least one overnight trip of 75 miles or more from home during the previous 12 months.