Survey says Americans love the beach

WASHINGTON -- American beach travelers take longer vacations, spend more money on their trips, and are more likely to stay in a timeshare than the average traveler, according to a new survey from the Travel Industry Association.

Beach-going households are also more likely to take kids on their trips, with 36 percent of them bringing a child along, compared to 22 percent of traveling households overall that include a child when traveling.

More than 54 million trips to the beach were made by U.S. households last year. These households spent an average of $737 per trip, excluding transportation to their destination, compared to just $339 for traveling households overall.

In addition, more than 15 percent of beach trips last a week or longer, compared to just 5 percent of trips overall.

Beach travelers are also more likely than traveling households overall to go camping or use an RV -- 7 percent vs. 3 percent -- or stay in a timeshare -- 4 percent vs. 2 percent. They are three times as likely as the average traveler to stay in a second home or condo -- 6 percent vs. 2 percent.