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That according to results from a poll of 1,205 people who responded online between May 2 and 15. The poll, conducted by the ����Ӱ��AV and Strongpoint Opinion Research, also found that 78 percent of the respondents had no plans for a staycation at a local resort and 34 percent said their vacation plans were largely driven by the desire to find cooler climes.

The most popular destinations: San Diego (23 percent) and the White Mountains (19 percent).

The vacation poll is the latest in a series of monthly online surveys that the Star and Strongpoint have been conducting since last September to gauge the pulse of Tucson. Other survey findings:

52 percent of those with travel plans said they expect to stay in a hotel or resort this summer; 40 percent will camp out with relatives.

• 49 percent said they are heading out of town to avoid Tucson’s heat, while some 66 percent also said they were off to visit family and friends.
• 15 percent of the respondents said they will vacation in Phoenix, which kind of negates the idea of escaping the heat. Phoenix historically is 5 to 8 degrees hotter than Tucson.

Despite the survey suggesting that fewer residents will spend time in Tucson resorts and hotels, Visit Tucson says city resorts and hotels maintain roughly 50 percent occupancy during the slower summer months thanks to a stronger economy.

“Summer is a difficult time for any business in Arizona, especially in Tucson and metro Phoenix,” said Visit Tucson CEO and President Brent DeRaad. “But with the stronger economy, we’re seeing that while business slows it’s not catastrophic.”

Andrew Stegen, GM of the Wyndham Grand Westward Look Resort on the northwest side, said he’s not surprised by the survey results. Most staycation decisions are spur of the moment, he said.

And while Tucsonans say they are avoiding staycations, hotel rooms are being filled by out of towners. DeRaad said Tucson will host 21,000 delegates from the Jehovah’s Witnesses in seven different four-night events at the Tucson Convention Center between June and mid-August.

The delegates will come from throughout the Southwest region and will book 31,000 room nights throughout the summer, DeRaad said.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses have held their summertime conferences in Tucson for the past couple decades.