SOURCE: United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA)
Surpass Expectations for Domestic and International Travel
NEW YORK, NY–(Marketwire – July 7, 2010) –
- more than 90% say business is up since beginning of year
- 96% say international travel is up
- 66% see domestic travel bookings up
- nearly 80% say staycations are waning
- nearly 60% say dollar’s value affecting international travel
The U.S. Tour Operators Association reports that 2010 business is up significantly compared to 2009, surpassing expectations. In a recent informal membership poll, 92% of respondents said business is up since the beginning of the year, contrasting with 70% who last fall predicted a turnaround.
International travel leads
Sales of international tours, vacation packages and custom arrangements led the way, with 96% of respondents seeing an average increase of 30% over last year. This surpasses last fall’s expectations, when three-quarters of members predicted international sales to grow in 2010 by slightly under 20%.
Two-thirds of USTOA respondents report that domestic vacation bookings are up by an average of 33% this year. This improvement tops USTOA member projections: last fall, when 56% of respondents expected an increase of just 10%, while 37% predicted that domestic travel figures would remain unchanged.
Staycations Losing Popularity
With the economy improving, USTOA members are finding “Staycations” — shorter, close-to-home vacations — less popular for 2010. Some 79% of respondents said they see no increase in staycations compared to last year. However, 20% report an increase, slightly down from the 25% who last fall predicted that closer to home travel would increase.
Discretionary income is key international factor
Some 84% of survey respondents see discretionary income as the major factor contributing to the uptick in international travel in 2010. Nearly 60% (58%) said that the dollar’s value is having a positive effect on international travel bookings for 2010 – 11, in line with earlier predictions.
Prices remain constant
Prices for tours, vacation packages, and custom arrangements have held constant since the beginning of the year for 68% of respondents, while 20% have lowered prices and 12% have increased them. Going into 2010, three-quarters of respondents said they were decreasing prices slightly, with one-quarter citing increases of 6% for 2010.
For more information, visit www.USTOA.com