More Consumers to Save Money by Vacationing Near Home This Summer Season

Rentals.com, a leading online resource for single-family houses, apartments, condos and vacation properties for rent, along with Vacapedia.com today announced that the search is on for consumers looking to find an affordable vacation closer to home. Based on the latest search results, Rentals.com and Vacapedia.com predict that more people will plan vacations this summer around local tourist attractions, nearby cities and within the U.S. in order to save on travel costs.

“With Memorial Day behind us, the summer travel season is underway,” said Jamie Clymer, president, Rentals.com. “Not surprisingly, the trend we’re seeing in people searching for vacation rentals on our site is telling of the economic situation the country is going through. As travelers tighten their purse strings, they are getting more resourceful with vacation options by looking for property rentals near home or within the United States.”

According to Vacapedia.com, which supplies vacation rental listings on Rentals.com, the overall number of vacation rentals booked has increased; however the destination focus has shifted. For example, the number of local and domestic vacation rental searches has increased significantly from 2008, showing close to a 350 percent increase compared to last year. Further, 15 percent of 2009’s vacation rental inquiries were for trips to Western European and Scandinavian countries, which are down from 35 percent in 2008.

This trend has also made its way abroad, as last year 32 percent of European and Asian vacationers looked for rentals in the United States. However, this number is closer to 10 percent in 2009.

More importantly, the data also indicates that consumers are still planning to take a summer vacation this year despite the challenging economy.

“The search results show that there is a growing interest among vacationers who see rental properties as a more practical accommodation over hotels,” said Ashwin Kedia, CEO and co-founder, Vacapedia.com. “Consumers may have smaller travel budgets this year, but since you can often get more space for less money and share the cost of the property rental with friends and family it becomes a budget-friendly option.”

Rentals.com has been a trusted leader in connecting landlords and renters since 1997. Its newly expanded Vacation Rentals section (vacation.rentals.com) is tailored to meet the needs of vacation renters searching for daily, weekly or weekend rates in a variety of vacation destinations.