Travel Agent magazine hosted a series of editorial roundtable summits in 2012, focusing on six important topics for the U.S. travel agency market: river cruising, travel to Barbados, travel to Asia, travel to Hawaii, multigenerational travel, and the importance of delivering excellent customer service.
By bringing together an elite group of executives and travel advisors to each summit, we were able to determine what the frontline trends are in these important sectors. Below is an executive summary of our findings, with links to the full wrap-up of each event, with video included.
River Cruise Roundtable Summit
At our Hawaii Roundtable Summit, entitled “Honing Your Hawaii Sales” (www.travelagentcentral.com/roundtables/honing-your-hawaii-sales), hosted by the Outrigger Reef on the Beach on Oahu, participants pointed to the increasing number of new resorts and airlift into Hawaii. An influx of Korean and Chinese visitors has changed the dynamic of the islands, and resorts are reinvesting big dollars to remain competitive. That’s quite a different story from the roundtable we held two years ago, when Hawaii, as with so many other destinations, was suffering from the brunt of the economic recession in the U.S. Panelists on the 2012 roundtable cited the safety aspect of Hawaii as one of its top selling points against its competitors; they also noted that the islands have become an experiential vacation, with an ever-increasing number of activities available to travelers, especially those that relate to what the locals themselves do for fun. Tour operators reported that they are providing more dynamic options and packages, such as wellness experiences and horseback riding, to keep visitors coming back.
Because Hawaii is considered by most to be a true investment in terms of both time away from home and dollars spent, the group concluded that it’s likely consumers will continue to turn to travel advisors to book the destination for them. It’s also a vacation venue that attracts repeat guests: John Monahan of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau noted that it tends to elicit an 80 percent repeat factor from North America. It’s also quite strong with families and with an older, affluent clientele. Opportunities for new visitors can be found in a younger traveler who comes to the islands for more than just a honeymoon.
Keep visiting www.travelagentcentral.com for the latest travel news, trends and research throughout the year.
—Joe Pike contributed to this report