To the Beach or Down the Shore?

On Jul 1, 2016

The AAA Clubs of New Jersey recently polled New Jersey residents to gain insight about 2016 summer vacation plans and get the answer to an age-old question, “Do you go to the beach or down the shore?” The results are in and 60 percent of those surveyed say they, “Go down the Shore.”

Overall, the survey found that 85 percent of survey respondents will be taking a summer vacation, with an overwhelming majority (73 percent) visiting New Jersey beaches, which bodes well for New Jersey tourism. Of those going down the Shore, the majority (62 percent) will be making day trips with the average person taking five trips over the course of the summer. Weekenders come in next with 46 percent, followed by those staying a week or longer (25 percent).

Other vacation destinations include:

·         Atlantic City                        29%

·         Upstate New York              13%

·         New England                     12%

·         Poconos                            12%

·         Washington D C                 11%

·         Maryland                            7%

·         Delaware                            6%

·         North Carolina                    6%

·         Virginia Beach                    5%

·         Other US destination         16%

·         Other non-US destination  10%

The road trip rules this summer with 74 percent of those traveling going by automobile, followed by 13 percent going by air, and 8 percent using other modes of transportation to get to their vacation destination.

Additionally, survey respondents were asked, “Have you returned to your regular pre-Superstorm Sandy summer destination spot(s)?” and 72 percent of those surveyed said yes.

“The loyalty that New Jerseyans have to their beaches is clear and the survey reaffirms that people will be making a concentrated effort to support Jersey Shore communities,” said Cathleen Lewis, Director of Public Affairs and Government Relations for AAA Northeast. “Vacationers will bring an influx of tourism dollars to the Shore regions, which is a boost to the economy of those still renovating and rebuilding from Superstorm Sandy. The landscape of some Shore communities may have been altered but not the determination of its dedicated visitors.”

AAA found that favorite summer activities include:

·         Going to the beach            72%

·         Going to the pool               46%

·         Hiking                                18%

·         Camping                            17%

·         Playing water sports           17%

·         Other activities                   16%

The online survey was conducted among a sample of 916 New Jersey residents between June 15-24, 2016. The margin of error for this survey is +/-3.23%.

The AAA Clubs of New Jersey—AAA North Jersey, AAA Northeast, AAA Mid-Atlantic and AAA South Jersey—provide automotive, travel, insurance and financial services to more than two million members through 26 offices across the state. The AAA Clubs of New Jersey are affiliated with AAA, the not-for-profit, fully tax paying federation of automobile clubs, which serves as an advocate for motorists and travelers.

AAA Northeast in New Jersey provides automotive, travel, insurance, financial and educational services to its nearly 400,000 members in Essex, Morris and Union Counties.

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