How often does wanderlust hit Illinois residents? Quite a bit, according to a new vacation survey from website AirportParkingReservations. And when they do? They spend a lot of money, a nice bonus for restaurants, entertainment spots, clothing stores and other retailers that rely on tourists for a sizable chunk of their revenue.
According to the company’s survey, Illinois residents take an average of 2.37 domestic vacations every year. And the most popular destination type? The beach, with AirportParkingReservations finding that 48% of Illinois vacationers opt for a beach vacation when they travel.
A total of 27% of Illinois survey respondents said that they prefer to vacation in a big city, while 26% prefer attending a music event and 24% an adventure trip. Only 20% said they prefer a romantic trip.
For domestic travel in 2024, both Florida and California were there preferred destinations of 24% of Illinois travelers, according to the survey. These two sunny states tied for the top spot in the survey. New York City came in third place, ranking as the preferred domestic destination of 17% of respondents.
When it comes to international trips, 52% of Illinois residents surveyed said Europe is their preferred destination.
Traveling isn’t cheap. It’s not surprising, then, that AirportParkingReservations finding that the average Illinois resident spends as much as $2,081.81 on vacations and travel on every trip.
How do Illinois residents pay for these trips? According to AirportParkingReservations 64% fund their vacations by tapping their savings, while 45% turn to credit cards. Surprisingly, 10% of Illinois residents said that they will take out a loan to pay for vacations in 2024.
