“Will Leisure Travel Take Off In 2010? - istockAnalyst.com (press release)” plus 2 more |
- Will Leisure Travel Take Off In 2010? - istockAnalyst.com (press release)
- Will you need a holiday after your holiday? Try these Southern spots - Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)
- Nine Colorado hotels make Travel+Leisure world's-best list - Bizjournals.com
| Will Leisure Travel Take Off In 2010? - istockAnalyst.com (press release) Posted: 16 Dec 2009 08:03 AM PST As the clock winds down on the remainder of 2009, we can look forward to a more optimistic 2010 in the leisure travel industry. Most indicators of the travel environment have improved since their recent lows, and we think this trend can continue. Consumer confidence is one of the most important leading measures of the travel industry, and we gauge it using the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index. Although it's not hard to remember the brutal economic conditions when confidence bottomed in November 2008, the index has rallied nearly 33% since then with a particularly high gain of 8% sequentially in December. When consumers become more confident, it shows up in two ways. First, they tend to spend more. It's no secret that feeling safe about one's job reduces one's willingness to save and increases the desire to consume. But an often overlooked behavior that gives a nice boost to travel and leisure companies in times of increasing confidence is that consumers plan their travel and leisure purchasing decisions further in advance. That is, it feels safer to book a Caribbean cruise six months in advance when your job is secure than when you may be laid off in a week. This effect boosts cash flow for travel and leisure companies even though they can't recognize the revenue until the travel and leisure services are complete. For any travel and leisure companies in precarious debt situations--and there are many--this can be a life saver. It's also important to note why people feel more confident so we can be sure that the rug won't be pulled out from under the surge of positive sentiment with any twitch of the financial markets. Household net worth increased sequentially by nearly 4% from the first to the second quarter of 2009. This was the first sequential gain since the second quarter of 2008. In addition, while unemployment levels remain at very high levels, the deterioration in the labor markets seems to have stabilized for the time being. So how have these underlying economic improvements affected travel so far, you ask? First, vehicle miles driven has significantly improved. According to the Federal Highway Administration, vehicle miles driven had increased 0.6% by September since the low in May 2009 (a marked improvement compared to the near free-fall this series saw in 2008). In addition, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics cites a near 10% improvement in air passenger enplanements worldwide since the low in February 2009. Both of these indicators foretell trends in other travel spending such as cruise vacations, rental car bookings, hotel bookings, or leisure activities. We are optimistic that trends will continue to improve for the travel industry in 2010. fivefilters.org featured article: Normalising the crime of the century by John Pilger. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Posted: 16 Dec 2009 04:02 AM PST Every October, I promise myself that I will take care of all the shopping and holiday preparations before Thanksgiving so that I may relax and enjoy this season. And every year I end up scrambling round in mid-December trying desperately to check off boxes on my shopping and to-do lists. This year, I am even more behind than usual. It's nine days to Christmas, and all I want this year is to make it to December 26th. As I have no time to spare between now and next Friday, I can't afford to daydream of relaxing getaways to tropical islands or snow-packed resorts in the Rockies. But when Boxing Day arrives next Saturday, I will be ready to get out of Dodge. I may not be spending Christmas out of town, but I would like very much to find a Christmas-y destination nearby to reflect on a season (and year) that has zoomed by at warp speed. If you are more together than I am, you may want to check out Travel and Leisure's list of the ten best places to spend Christmas. Their far-away suggestions range from the beautiful and traditional — like the village of Castleton, England; the city of Vienna, Austria and the Arctic island of Tromso, Norway – to unconventional spots like the Brazilian rainforest, palm-filled Key West or a summer beach getaway in Kaikoura, New Zealand. Travel and Leisure's number one destination is in the stunning high desert plain of Taos, New Mexico. I will be looking much closer to home. I am considering a mini-ski break to one of our southeastern ski spots. I have written before that I am not a (snow) skier. In fact, I have always liked my skis wide, on water and pulled by a fast boat. Lately, however, I have begun to think I may be missing something by not snow skiing. I also think my children should at least learn that slalom snow skiing doesn't mean you are skiing down the mountain on just one ski. As I "Bing-ed" holiday travel options in the region, I came across a few other possibilities for a restorative and fun getaway.
Are you taking a post-holiday break this year? How far are you traveling? What do you think of Travel and Leisure's list of best destinations? What would have made your list of "anywhere in the world" Christmas trips? What makes your list of best December getaways in the South? Are you looking for an active getaway like skiing; something less conventional; or just a good place to sleep in, sit by the fire and drink your hot chocolate in peace? fivefilters.org featured article: Normalising the crime of the century by John Pilger. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Nine Colorado hotels make Travel+Leisure world's-best list - Bizjournals.com Posted: 16 Dec 2009 09:08 PM PST The Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch in Avon retained its ranking as Colorado's highest-rated hotel among the nine in the state chosen for Travel + Leisure magazine's annual list of the world's 500 best hotels. Three Aspen hotels, two from Denver and one each from Beaver Creek, Colorado Springs and Vail joined the Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch on the list. The total on nine was one more than Colorado had on last year's list, with three state newcomers to the rankings replacing two that fell off of the reader-chosen list. Though none of the state's entries ranked on the magazine's ultra-exclusive Top 50 list in the world, the Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch in Avon earned an 88.45 ranking to put it at the top of the local hotels. Following it were: • Little Nell, Aspen - 88.27; • St. Regis Resort, Aspen - 86.33; • Sonnenalp Resort of Vail - 85.89 (new this year); • The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs - 85.65; • Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort & Spa - 84.68; • Hotel Teatro, Denver - 83.75; • Hotel Jerome, Aspen - 83.62 (new this year); • Brown Palace Hotel & Spa, Denver - 82.53 (new this year). Denver's Hotel Monaco and the Beaver Creek Lodge are the two Colorado establishments that dropped off of the list this year. The list is available at www.TravelandLeisure.com and will appear in the magazine's January issue. fivefilters.org featured article: Normalising the crime of the century by John Pilger. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from travel and leisure - Google News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment