In a recent TripAdvisor survey, nearly half of the 500 respondents chose New England as their top vacation destination this fall and more than 88 percent of those surveyed plan to take a vacation during the upcoming season. In addition to leaf peeping, survey participants also responded that fall is a good time to travel because of significantly fewer tourists and crowds.

The survey also revealed that Labor Day traffic may be down this year, as about 53 percent of respondents plan to stay close to home for the holiday weekend. Nearly 23 percent are planning to take a road trip less than four hours away. Surprisingly, only about five percent are beginning or ending a vacation on Labor Day.

Fall also seems to be the season for lovers, as 67 percent of TripAdvisor travelers chose a romantic getaway as their top pick for the coming fall season. Meanwhile, it appears that parents are keeping kids focused on the new school year -- only about 15 percent of travelers intend to take a family vacation in the fall.

The survey suggests that festivals are in high demand as well, as nearly 36 percent of travelers intend to partake of a wine or beer festival, more than any other kind of festival this fall.

"It's not surprising that travelers are drawn to the beauty of New England in the fall," said Michele Perry, TripAdvisor spokesperson. "What did surprise us is that 88 percent of survey respondents are planning to travel this fall, but 53 percent are staying home for Labor Day."

About TripAdvisor(TM)

TripAdvisor.com is the leading global travel information and advice destination, with more than 2.5 million unbiased reviews and opinions and covering 200,000+ hotels and attractions. With more than 17 million unique monthly visitors worldwide (source: comScore Media Metrix, May 2005) TripAdvisor(TM) features real advice from real travelers and easy access to major online travel sites, including Expedia.com(R), Orbitz, Hotels.com(TM) and American Airlines, for the best deals on the Web. TripAdvisor(TM) (http://www.tripadvisor.com/) offers travel suppliers a cost-per-click marketing platform, so customers pay only for leads, not impressions, with every campaign. Winner of dozens of awards, including PC Magazine's Top 100 Web Sites and Forbes Best of the Web, TripAdvisor(TM) is part of Expedia, Inc. .

SOURCE: TripAdvisor