The group is predicting a rise in summer travel from last year and a corresponding increase of 5.3 percent in revenue per available room for hotels.

"The combination of the lateness of Memorial Day with a very difficult winter will cause people to say -- I've waited long enough," said analyst Bjorn Hanson. He noted that higher gas costs did not add much to the cost of big trip.

Average gasoline prices hit a record $1.77 per gallon on Tuesday, the AAA motorist association said. That is up 5 cents per gallon from a month ago and 13 cents more than a year ago.

But the increase in the cost of a vacation is negligible, and the fuel price rise would only depress hotel occupancy by one-quarter to one-half of a percentage point.

The average trip of about 500 miles would cost an extra $7.50 in a car that got 20 miles per gallon if prices rose 30 cents per gallon.

Hanson credited an improving economy and higher consumer confidence as the chief factors behind the expectations of an improved summer travel season.

He said the Memorial Day, Labor Day and July 4th holidays would all show increases from last year.

Memorial Day weather last year was bad, making for an easy comparison, and airlines and hotels are also marketing aggressively, he said.