Last-minute Valentine’s Day Gift Idea

Four of Every Ten Women Prefer a Romantic Getaway Instead of Flowers or Jewelry

• 
  SAVE
• 
  SHARE
• 
  TEXT SIZE
• 
  PRINT
• 
  COMMENT
• 
  PDF

. October 14, 2008

WASHINGTON, DC, February 12, 2008. Guys wanting to wow their wife or girlfriend with a last-minute gift for Valentine's Day may want to pack their bags: survey results released by the Travel Industry Association (TIA) shows that a stay at a hotel or bed and breakfast is even more popular for a Valentine's Day gift than flowers or jewelry.

Research firm Synovate surveyed more than 1,000 women across the country to find out what they would prefer to receive as a Valentine's Day gift, assuming all options cost about the same. A romantic getaway topped the list, with four in ten (36%) women reporting that they would most prefer an overnight stay in a hotel or bed and breakfast. Dinner at a restaurant ranked second, preferred by one-third (32%) of women. Jewelry was preferred as a gift by only two in ten (21%), Flowers (8%) and Lingerie (2%) ranked at the bottom of the list.

"Travel provides the unique opportunity for quality time and building lifelong memories," said Roger Dow, President and CEO of the Travel Industry Association. "It's no wonder women prefer a getaway trip over the more traditional gifts from their husband or boyfriend."

"For guys who haven't decided on a gift, especially for those married with children, a time-saving tip to make her happy would be to write a note inside a Valentine's card that you're planning a weekend getaway for just the two of you," Dow said. "Spending time with you away from home is what she wants."

Women aged 25 - 34 years old are the most likely to prefer the gift of travel for Valentine's Day (49%), followed by women aged 35 - 44 years old (39%). Married women (40%) and, not surprisingly, women with children (42%) are also much more likely to prefer a romantic getaway.

The survey was conducted online amongst a representative sample of American women 18 years of age or older during the week of February 4. Margin of error is +/- 3 percentage points.

#

The Travel Industry Association is the national, non-profit organization representing all components of the $740 billion travel industry. TIA's mission is to promote and facilitate increased travel to and within the United States. TIA is proud to be a partner in travel with American Express. For more information, visit www.tia.org.