Biz Travelers Need Both Online And Agent Services

Business travelers prefer to book online but want 24-hour access to agents when they are on the road and need help, reports a survey by American Express. Majority of them agree that services by an experienced and knowledgeable travel agent, and the travel agent having access to the most advanced technology, are the most important services available. More than half of business travelers preferred to book their travel online (55 percent), while almost half (46 percent) of travelers said they are more likely to turn to an agent when they need help on the road. This reveals an emerging demand for a service option that offers the best of both online and offline service. Eight in ten business travelers feel that the location of the travel agent is not relevant, opening up consolidation of servicing opportunities for companies that will allow cost savings.

Brits For More Long Haul Travel In 2011

TripAdvisor's Travel Trends Survey reveals that 2011 will see Brits travel more, with a significant number (66%) of people planning to take a long-haul holiday. Only a third of Brits are planning a stay-at-home holiday next year. Over a third (36%) of Brits plan to spend more on their holidays in 2011. The findings were:

- One in 10 Brits are planning to travel more on holiday in 2011 than they did in 2010

- Two-thirds (66%) of Brits are planning at least one long-haul holiday in 2011

- Just 38% of Brits are planning a staycation in 2011, compared to 45% in 2010

- Over two-thirds (67%) are planning at least one domestic holiday, a slight decrease from 73% in 2010 

 - A third (32%) plan to spend between GBP2,000-GBP4,000 in total on  leisure travel in 2011

 - An extravagant 14% of Brits intend to spend over GBP8,000 on travel in 2011 

Increase In Traveller Need For Add-Ons

A survey of Consumer Travel Trends by Travelport reveals that there is a traveller need for additional services, such as insurance, meeting facilities, restaurant reservations and other travel services. More than two-thirds of travellers booked at least one additional service at the time of booking their last trip. Both business and leisure travellers want to buy accommodation, insurance and more at the same time as key trip components:

49% of business travellers booked accommodation at the same time as key segments, as did 47% of leisure travellers; 33% of business travellers booked insurance, as did 32% of leisure travellers; 29% of business travellers booked car rentals, compared with 21% of leisure travellers. Levels of consideration for additional services are higher among leisure travellers than business. The most highly valued extras that make trips more pleasurable are leg room (34% business and 38% leisure travellers), seat assignment (30% and 35% respectively), and fast track security (29% and 31%).

US, Australia and UK: Online Travel Buying Highest

According to Travelport’s report ‘The Well Connected Traveller’, travel researching and buying online is highest in the United States, Australia and the UK – all countries with relatively high Internet access and use of credit cards. The UAE, Hong Kong and Russia have the highest levels of researching and buying offline. Among survey respondents’ 52% of leisure travellers and 42% of business travellers research and book travel online. A further 23% of leisure travellers and 19% of business travellers research trips online but book offline. 17% of leisure travellers and 27% of business travellers researched and booked travel offline. For business travellers, this relatively high proportion of offline bookings is certainly a reflection of the use of travel management companies.

Indian Luxury Travel Segment: Self –Drive Experiences Popular

Self drive experiences are popular in the Indian luxury travel market and many operators offer such products primarily for Europe and New Zealand. This comprises travelling in high-end cars like Ferrari, Audi, Mercedes and Rolls Royce where the travel operator provides mapped out routes. Customisation is to the level of providing concierge services to deliver the clients’ luggage, suggesting stay at high-end boutique hotels, reservations at Michelin star restaurants and offering vineyard visits and other sight seeing experiences en route. Spa holidays, adventure sports, high-end shopping trips, culinary tours, wine trails and cruise tourism are rapidly gaining acceptance in the market. Popular and upcoming destinations for luxury travel include: Monaco, Namibia, Mauritius, Seychelles, Caribbean Islands, Greece, Cyprus, East Africa, New Zealand, Canada, Vietnam and Cambodia. Luxury travellers in India consist primarily of FITs, families, honeymooners and young professionals. The luxury travel segment in India is growing rapidly at about 10-12 per cent annually.

Pre Trip Approvals – Top Business Travel Guideline

Deloitte’s 2010 Business Traveler Survey reveals the top travel guidelines at companies for business travel were pre trip approvals (50%),per diem amounts for daily expenses(48%), book accommodations in advance(42%), purchase air tickets in advance(42%), dollar limit for accommodations(32%), dollar limit on client dinners, entertainment (31%), first or business class seat restrictions on domestic flights (29%).

The top 6 ways the respondents monitored travel expenses in 2010 were:

37% cut back, overall, on travel expenses

33% stayed away for fewer days

32% spent less on food, restaurants

24% spent less on air travel

24% scheduled conference calls, video conferencing instead of traveling

21% stayed at less expensive hotels than before

Korean Travelers: Top Duty Free Spenders

According to The Visa Travel Smart Survey, Korean travellers spent the most on duty free items on their last trip with an average expenditure of US$358.

Top Duty Free Spenders

Korea - US$ 358

China - US$ 333

Hong Kong - US$ 224

Malaysia - US$ 195

India - US$ 180

Thailand - US$ 178

Japan - US$ 164

Australia - US$ 153

Singapore - US$ 153

New Zealand - US$ 134

Taiwan - US$ 125

Regional Average - US$ 21

Travelers from Japan (73 percent), Korea (71 percent) and China (49 percent) were the region’s most frequent duty free shoppers. For duty free purchases credit cards were most popular with Australians and New Zealanders (59 percent respectively), followed by Koreans (56 percent). The other findings were : leisure travelers did most of their duty free shopping at the airport (84 percent) while business travelers preferred downtown duty free shops (67 percent);young travelers(18 – 29 year olds) were the most likely to stretch their travel budget with duty free purchases.

US Corporate Travel Budget: 5% Rise Expected; Sellers Market Taking Over

The National Business Travel Association (NBTA), in its 2010 Industry Pulse: Business Travel Buyers’ Sentiment stated the average corporate travel budget was up 5.5% in 2010 compared to 2009 and expects it to expand an additional 4.45% in 2011 to USD 98 million. NBTA surveyed 170 North American corporate travel buyers and found that more travellers (38%) are taking more trips (51%) this year. Increasing outbound international business travel and higher costs are also large driving forces behind the increase in total travel spend. With the exception of domestic car rentals, travel buyers expect domestic prices to rise between 3% and 4.5% in 2011. Travel companies, including airlines, are wielding more negotiation power making corporate discounts harder to come by.

	2009 USD	Estimated 2010 Change	Projected 2011 Change
Domestic Airfare	$442.00	4.17%	4.48%
International Coach Airfare	$1,137.00	3.21%	3.81%
International Business Class Airfare	$4,084.00	3.24%	3.93%
Domestic Hotels	$160.00	-0.52%	2.98%
International Hotels	$322.00	1.10%	2.84%
Domestic Car Rentals	$48.17	0.23%	0.74%

The international share of U.S. business travel spend in 2009 was 28 percent; this share is expected to increase. Outbound international spend per company is estimated to increase by 13 percent in 2010 to $28.2 million. Travel buyers expect their international business travel spend to further increase by 11.4 percent to $31.42 million in 2011.

Agent, Tour Operator Influence To Resurge In 2011

Agents and tour operators will see a resurgence of influence in the future, predicts Cox & Kings, the longest-established travel company in the world. Waning influence of Internet due to information overload and specialized and specific requests by the traveler has caused resurgence in working with tour operators and travel agents.

Other travel trends predicted for 2011 are:

Multi-destination vacations: visiting two countries in one trip is more convenient than ever, affording travelers the opportunity to experience what they want from a combination of countries.

Learning experiences: Demand has increased for specialized learning experiences. People want to come away with a strong emotional connection with a destination and bring back more a skill they can actually use from a vacation.

Luxury trains: There will be renewed interest in rail travel that will increase throughout 2011. Rail travel is an easy and comfortable way to maximize travel time, allowing travelers to see a large number of sites without having to pack up and fly or drive between these locations.

Experiential family travel: The face of the family vacation is changing and they are extending far beyond a week-long island refuge. The demand for hands-on experiences that focus on learning and doing as opposed to just seeing will increase in 2011.

Women Travelers Turn to Social Media

According to a survey commissioned by ‘Women on their Way’, nearly half of women surveyed access social media while traveling.

Key findings from the survey include:

- Almost half (46 percent) of women use social media during their trip and half access it through their smartphones

-Of those respondents who use social media during their trip, the majority (81 percent) are on a leisure vacation. Three in every four women are on family visits and a quarter is on girlfriend getaways.

- More than half of those under the age of 35 are using social media while on their trip, almost two-thirds share photos or videos and 46 percent update their status or provide commentary.

- Almost two-in-five women provide status updates or commentary during their trip on Facebook and well over half (57 percent) share photos or videos.

Premier Inn, Travelodge Dominate UK Branded Budget Hotel Market

According to TRI Hospitality Consulting, top two budget hotel brands have more than two-thirds of the UK branded budget hotel market: Premier Inn (38%) and Travelodge (25%). Since 1993, the number of branded budget hotel rooms in the UK has grown more than tenfold, increasing from 10,555 rooms to 109,528 rooms at the end of 2009.

UK's Leading Branded Budget Hotel Operators

Brand	Number of Hotels	Number of rooms
Premier Inn	582	41,511
Travelodge	377	27,010
Holiday Inn Express	109	12,464
Ibis	53	7,173
Jurys Inn	23	5,828
Innkeeper's Lodge	91	2,652
Etap	17	2,212
Ramada Encore	16	1,947
Days Inn	30	1,834
Days Hotel	12	1,562

Source: Budget Hotels 2010 UK

Outbound Spending 2020: 32% By Asia Pacific Residents

Spending by Asia Pacific residents is forecast to account for 32% of the total in 2020 – much larger than the 2008 level of 21%. Spending by Europe is forecast to reduce by 10% (from 51% to 41%); North America by 3% (from 16% to 13%). Spending from Latin America may increase marginally from 3% to 4% while the Middle East is expected to remain at the 2008 level (5%).

Source: The Travel Gold Rush 2020

Global Tourist Flow 2020: Share of Asia Pacific Increases; Europe Decreases

According to the study conducted by Amadeus and Oxford Economics, the share of Asia Pacific of the global tourist traffic in 2020 increases while that of Europe decreases. Global share for Asia Pacific in 2010 is estimated at 18.3% while the forecast for 2020 is 21.7%. Europe is estimated at 59.5% share in 2010 and the forecasted share for 2020 indicates a fall to 55.9%. The average 10 year growth rates range from 3.3% per annum (Europe) to 5.8% per annum (Asia Pacific).

Outbound Visitor Traffic 2010-2020

Source: The Travel Gold Rush 2020

Australia and UK Rank India In Top 3 Travel Destinations

According to the joint Visa - PATA Asia Pacific Travel Intentions Survey 2010, respondents from 2 of the 13 key Asia Pacific travel source markets, included in the survey, have picked up India as their next holiday destination. 9 % of the respondents in the UK said they would consider visiting India in the next two years, as did 8 % of the respondents in Australia. In both these countries, India has been ranked as the third most popular country likely to be visited in the next two years.

Australia And Japan: Most Desirable Holiday Destinations

Australia and Japan are the most desirable holiday destinations according to the Visa - Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Asia Pacific Travel Intentions Survey 2010. Forty percent of the 6,714 respondents surveyed said they would consider traveling to Australia(17 percent) or Japan (16 percent)in the next two years.

59 percent respondents from New Zealand picked Australia as their mostly likely holiday destination, followed by UK (29 percent), US (20 percent) and Japan (17 percent).Japan is the top pick for holiday-makers from South Korea (38 percent), Chinese Taipei (34 percent), Thailand (26 percent) and Hong Kong (22 percent).

Other key findings from the survey include:

Travel Style:

• 47 percent arranged trips themselves by booking directly with hotels and airlines.
• Self-organized travel was the top travel style for respondents from the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia.
• Flexible individual tours were the next most preferred way to travel (22 percent).
• Packaged group tours were most likely to be booked by travelers from Mainland China (33 percent), Chinese Taipei (29 percent) and Thailand (28 percent).

Trip Duration:

• Most travelers(32 percent) spend three to five nights on vacation.
• Travelers from the UK (29 percent), US (22 percent), and New Zealand (19 percent) tend to take longer trips of between ten to 14 nights.
• Australian travelers were most likely to take the longest breaks – 23 percent of them said their past holiday trips lasted more than 20 nights.

Accommodation:

• Travelers surveyed were most partial to staying at four-star (27 percent) and three-star (21 percent) hotels.
• Respondents from Singapore (47 percent) were most likely to stay at a four-star hotel, while Indian (33 percent) and Malaysian (32 percent) travelers were most likely to pick a three-star hotel.
• Luxury hotels were most popular with travelers from Hong Kong (25 percent) and Chinese Taipei (20 percent).
• Resorts were favored by Korean holiday-makers (25 percent).

Travel Companions:

• Most travelers (48 per cent) tend to holiday with their spouse or partner.
• Holidaying with family and relatives was popular with respondents from Singapore

(42 percent) and Thailand (40 percent), while 35 percent of respondents from India said

they had traveled with their children.

• Respondents from Chinese Taipei (28 percent) and China (26 percent) travelled alone the most during their international holidays.

Asia Leads Global Tourism Rebound For First Half Of 2010

According to UNWTO World Tourism Barometer’s August Interim Update, the global tourism rebound is led by Asia Pacific and the Middle East, with 14% and 20% growth, respectively. Destinations countries in North East Asia (+16%), South-East Asia (+12%) and South Asia (+14%) have recorded double digit increases. Asian countries such as Sri Lanka (+49%), Japan (36%), Vietnam (35%) and Myanmar (35%) registered strong results, propelling Asia to become the second-most visited region in the world. International tourist arrivals increased by 7% for the first half of 2010. On a month-by-month basis, May(+10)), March(+9%) and June(+8%) were the strongest. The positive growth rates, together with the improving global economy, suggest that year-end results may exceed UNWTO’s forecast of 3% to 4%.

For more news visit http://www.starktourism.com

2010 World Tourism Day – Tourism and Biodiversity

“ Safeguarding biodiversity is an urgent challenge that concerns us all – the international community, governments, companies and travellers – but it is not too late to act. ”

- Taleb Rifai, UNWTO Secretary-General

“This year's emphasis on tourism and biodiversity plays into PATA's passion for exploring and conserving life on this planet. ”

- Greg Duffell, PATA Chief Executive Officer

UK Tourism Dips: Outbound By 8%; Inbound By 2%

The number of Britons taking overseas holidays in the first seven months of 2010 declined by 8 percent compared with the same period last year, according to the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). Tour operators, Thomas Cook and TUI Travel, had 1.6m fewer people taking holidays abroad this year to July 2010 compared to the same period for 2009. 44,000 fewer people took overseas holidays in June and July compared with the same period in 2009.

Overall, trips to the UK for January-July fell by 2 per cent (6.66m). Passenger arrivals from the US fell sharply, down 10 percent in the second quarter year-on-year. Business trips to the UK rose 3 percent over the same period, but trips to see friends or relatives fell 7 percent.

US Traveler Technology Trends

According to PhoCusWright’s Traveler Technology report, the top US traveler technology trends are:

- Less than one fourth do all their travel shopping on websites

- More than two thirds are slightly influenced by traveler-generated ratings when making purchase decisions

-43% of mobile phone users are carrying smartphones, and more than a third of mobile users plan to book travel on their phones in the next year

- Close to half of smartphone users are under 35 years old

- Less than a third of touchscreen smartphone users are carrying iPhones

-Seven in 10 are members of an online social network, and membership is stronger among females than males

-Nearly nine in 10 social network users log on weekly or more often

- While over half of social network users are "fans" of companies, less than two in 10 are "fans" of travel companies

- Nearly a third were at least somewhat influenced by comments from people in their online social network when making travel purchase decisions

Telepresence To Reduce 21 Percent Corporate Travel

Telepresence (type of teleconferencing using high definition video and audio and which creates the illusion that meeting participants are in the same room) could lead to an aggregate reduction of 21 percent in corporate travel according to Bernstein Research.It could replace 70 percent of internal travel and 10 percent of external travel over the next 10 to 15 years.

The US telepresence or virtual meeting market will be worth US$ 30 billion in the next decade or within 15 years and almost half of that will be spent by small companies. As part of this shift, major hotel chains such as Marriott and Starwood have started offering telepresence suites in heavy business markets such as Chicago and Hong Kong.

Forrester Research has found that 17 percent of US business travellers have used either videoconferencing or virtual presence in 2009 to reduce business travel. 30 percent of the estimated 6 million to 8 million conference rooms in the US will be telepresence –enabled over the next five years.

Major Forthcoming Events In August 2010

1st - 4th

BTY 2010 - Bourse Touristique de Yaoundé 2010

Yaounde, Cameroon

6th - 15th

International Tour Manager Certification Program

Beijing, China

www.bepaidtotravel.com

12th - 15th

Document.Art - 14th edition of the Festival Document.Art

Tulcea, Romania

www.dokumentarts.ro

20th - 22nd

Travel & Tourism Fair - Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad, India

www.ttfotm.com/ttf/index.html

26th - 28th

ITM - India Travel Mart

New Delhi, India

27th - 29th

Travel & Tourism Fair - Surat

Surat, India

www.ttfotm.com/ttf/index.html

28th - 02nd

XI World Leisure Congress and Leisure Games

ChunCheon, Republic of Korea

www.worldleisure2010.org

30th - 02nd

HOTELGA 2010 International Fair on Equipment, Products
and Gastronomy and Hotelery

Buenos Aires, Argentina

www.hotelga.com

Hotel Brand Ranking 2010 Dominated By Choice Hotels

According to tophotelchains.com, the Hotel Brand Ranking 2010 is dominated by brands of Choice Hotels. The multi-brand hotel operator, Choice Hotels takes up five places in the Hotel Brand Ranking. The InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) leads the overall Hotel Brand Ranking 2010. Ranked at 3rd place is Hilton, followed by the group’s own brand Hampton Inn. Wyndham Hotel Group, which is the second largest hotel groups worldwide, ranks in 8th place with its Super 8 brand followed by the Hyatt brand, which is the ninth largest hotel group. The first European hotel brand appears on rank 10: Ibis by Accor. UK’s budget hotel brand Premier Inn comes in 21st place and Europe’s Rezidor Hotel group with the Radisson Blu brand ranks 25th

Hotel Brand Ranking 2010 Largest Hotel Brands By Guest Rooms
Rank	Brand	Hotel Group	No: of Rooms	No: of Hotels
1	Holiday Inn	IHG	240,000	1,319
2	Holiday Inn Express	IHG	188,000	2,069
3	Hilton	Hilton Hotels	181,000	520
4	Hampton Inn	Hilton Hotels	168,000	1,700
5	Comfort Inn	Choice Hotels	164,000	1,980
6	Sheraton	Starwood Hotels	139,000	392
7	Quality Inn	Choice Hotels	136,000	1,354
8	Super 8	Wyndham Wordlwide	125,000	2,100
9	Hyatt	Hyatt Hotels	120,000	399
10	Ibis	Accor Hospitality	102,000	861
11	Crowne Plaza	IHG	101,000	366
12	Motel6	Accor Hospitality	99,000	1,001
13	Mercure	Accor Hospitality	82,000	671
14	Novotel	Accor Hospitality	71,000	395
15	Westin	Starwood Hotels	66,000	170
16	Comfort Suites	Choice Hotels	62,000	618
17	InterContinental	IHG	56,000	166
18	EconoLodge	Choice Hotels	55,000	846
19	Embassy Suites	Hilton Hotels	50,000	200
20	Doubletree	Hilton Hotels	50,000	200
21	Premier Inn	Premier Inn	47,000	578
22	LaQuinta Inns & Suites	LQ Management	47,000	400
23	Barcelo	Barcelo Hotels	46,000	186
24	Clarion	Choice Hotels	45,000	296
25	Radisson Blu	Rezidor Hotel Group	43,000	189
Ranking by www.tophotelchains.com