This week in travel industry statistics brought more strong signs for the travel industry with a new survey underscoring the importance of vacations to U.S. consumers and positive signals in air travel and group bookings at hotels.
Travel Remains Important to U.S. Consumers
The Great American Vacation Study, which examines U.S. leisure traveler behavior in a survey of 1200 consumers, underscored the importance of vacations to U.S. consumers. According to the survey, 90 percent of Americans take one or more personal trips per year.
Summer Air Travel to Reach Highest Level in Six Years
According to Airlines for America (A4A), summer air travel for 2014 is set to rise to its highest level in six years. Approximately 210 million passengers (2.28 million per day) are expected to fly U.S. airlines from June 1 – August 31, up 1.5 percent from 2013, A4A says. This includes 29.9 million travelers (325,000 per day) on international flights – an all-time high.
Hotel Growth Accelerates on Strong Group Demand
Positive signs were also present in the hotel sector, with new data from PwC US showing that the lodging industry beat expectations despite a weak first quarter for the U.S. economy overall, led by a strengthening recovery in meetings, conferences and other group demand.
Source: PwC US and Smith Travel Research
85 Percent of Non-Business Travelers Look for Deals Online
The Great American Vacation Study also shared insights into how U.S. leisure travelers plan their vacations. According to the survey, 85 percent of non-business travelers are looking for deals online and, what's more, those deals are influencing their behavior: many will book based on the deals they find.
Tokyo Provides Best Overall City Experience
According to TripAdvisor's second annual Cities Survey, Tokyo lead the way in terms of best overall experience for a city. The results were compiled based on more than 54,000 responses from those who have recently written TripAdvisor reviews for featured cities around the world.
Travel Leaders Survey Offers Etiquette Insights
Also this week, Travel Leaders released its "What Would You Do?" survey that examined common solutions to travel etiquette dilemmas. Key findings include:
When asked, “If you were on vacation at a hotel or resort and someone ‘saved’ a beach chair yet was nowhere in sight, how long would you wait before taking that chair if no others were available?” the responses were:
When asked, “If a bellman at a hotel/resort grabbed your luggage and started taking it to your car/cab or room without you asking for assistance, would you still tip the bellman?” the responses were:
When asked, “Tipping maid service at hotels is increasingly common and the norm in many destinations. When staying at a hotel or resort, do you tip the maid service?” the responses were:
When asked, “If you were enjoying an adult-only pool at a hotel or resort and another guest brought their child/children into that pool area, what would you do?” the responses were:
When asked, “When staying at a hotel or resort, if there are loud noises coming from the room next door (or above/below your room), what would you do?” the responses were:
When asked, “Many hotels and resorts indicate they are trying to conserve water and energy and ask guests to consider reusing their towels. Do you …” the responses were:
When asked, “When flying, if you were concerned about overhead bin space for your carry-on bag in the area where your seat is located, would you place it near the front of the plane as soon as you got on?” the responses were:
Keep visiting www.travelagentcentral.com for the latest travel industry stats and trends.