April 1, 2007
 
Tourism Pumps More Into U.S. Economy
U.S. tourists have been shopping less but paying more for their hotel rooms, and the result, in recent months, has been 8% more economic oomph from tourism than at the same time last year.
The 8% annual growth rate in real direct tourism output during the fourth quarter was reported Tuesday by the today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. On the heels of a decline in economic output in the previous quarter, it shows a welcome rebound. The tourism economy across America grew more than three times faster than the economy as a whole did.
For full year 2006, reports Pacific Business News, the tourism economy grew by a more modest 3%, the fifth year of growth, though it was slightly less than the growth rate for the economy as a whole.
These were the national trends in 2006 for the economic contribution of different parts of the tourism economy:

 

Companies Tailor Marketing To Immigrants
A singer croons in Farsi while musicians strum their instruments before an audience of families gathered in a park for an Iranian holiday feast. A banner looms over the crowd wishing them all a happy Norooz - the Persian New Year - from Lufthansa, the German airline. Such scenes are becoming part of the marketing landscape as global companies look beyond Cinco de Mayo and Chinese New Year in their efforts to reach immigrant consumers that might miss a more mainstream message.
Just as Norooz offers firms a window into an untapped community, says Associated Press, so too does the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, or Malanka, when Ukrainians celebrate the coming of spring. "You can reach any community, any population, any small target group with the right expertise, the right media resources," said Givi Topchishvili, chief executive of New York-based Global Advertising Strategies, which helps develop niche ethnic markets for Lufthansa and other corporate clients.
By working with advertising consultants who understand a group's unique values and spending habits, he said, firms aim to deliver a relevant message at the right time, in the right place, in the right language. "You can be effective not only with larger communities, like the Latino community," he said. "You can reach the Polish community in Chicago or the Greeks in New York."
Ten years ago, advertisers did target broad groups like Hispanics or Asians, said Greg Anthony, senior vice president of Alloy Access, the multicultural division of the marketing firm Alloy Inc. But today's clients want to go deeper, beyond such broad descriptions, and reach the more than 35 million foreign-born residents in the U.S. who hail from more than 400 countries, according to the U.S. Census. "Anytime you can get more specific and more targeted, the better your campaign will be," he said. "We'd love for it to stay easy, but it won't."
MoneyGram International Inc., a company that allows customers to wire money around the world, used International Women's Day on March 8 to reach out to Russians, Armenians, and other immigrants from countries that celebrate the blend of Valentine's Day and Mother's Day.
Ethnic radio programs and newspapers from New York to San Francisco carried ads wishing listeners a happy Women's Day. And on March 8, Moneygram representatives fanned out into neighborhoods handing out carnations, a flower symbolizing admiration and devotion in those cultures, and discussing the company's products in relevant languages.
The message of the campaign: that the company cares about that community's culture.
 
Survey: Boomers Serve As Sources For Each Other
Baby boomers rely on each other for a plethora of product and service recommendations, according to a study released by Weber Shandwick.
PR Week reports that the study by KRC Research found that of 502 boomers (Americans born between 1946 and 1964) six out of 10 are asked for their recommendations twice a week. Of those people who were asked to recommend something in the past year, 89% advised their friends, or fellow boomers, the study found.
The telephone study also revealed that boomer-to-friend communications, as Weber Shandwick calls them, are circular, with nearly all boomers (93%) identifying their boomer friends as trusted sources of information.
Weber Shandwick's chief reputation strategist Dr. Leslie Gaines-Ross said there is surprisingly little study done on baby boomers and their direct communications, despite their impending purchasing heft. "There is a [underestimation regarding] what a vital group they are," said Gaines-Ross.
 
Cuba Expects More Russian Tourists
Cuba expects that a flow of tourists from Russia will grow, Cuba’s First Deputy Minister of Tourism Alexis Trujillo told the Itar Tass news agency says Caribbean Travel News.
“We are ready to guarantee complete safety to Russian tourists arriving in the country,” the official stressed. “Safety is one of the strongest sides of the Cuban tourist business,” Alexis Trujillo added.
He said Russia occupies a major place in Cuba’s tourism sector. A total of 22,000 Russian nationals visited Cuba in 2006, and 7,000 Russian tourists have already visited it this year.
He said Russia is placed 11 in the number of tourists visiting Cuba. Great Britain, Spain and Italy are top on the list. “Tourism infrastructure of the country is being constantly updated,” as the sphere of tourism creates jobs and makes up 5% of Cuban GDP, the official added.
 
Hyatt Introduces New Brand
Global Hyatt Corporation unveiled Hyatt Place, which it claims has a "strong appeal to a newly identified target audience who has successfully adapted to today's 24/7 lifestyle."
"This group of travelers shares a mindset and way of life that revolves around seamlessly merging personal and professional activities," says the company, which adds the new chain is designed to offer a balanced mix of comfortable and functional guestrooms.
According to TravelMole amenities include 42-inch high-definition televisions with next generation entertainment content; free Wi-Fi access; and an eight-foot sectional sofa-sleeper – all contained in an oversized, suite-like room with 20% more space than the average hotel room.
The new concept was based in part on the findings of extensive consumer research commissioned by Hyatt that uncovered the demands of a new breed of sophisticated travelers who intermingle their professional and personal lives.
The study showed that more than 90% of traveling respondents do not separate their lives into personal or professional silos because their work and leisure time overlap.
 
Emirates Airline To Invest US$736 Million In Hotels
The Dubai-based Emirates Airline will invest 2.7 billion dirhams (736 million U.S. dollars) to develop its hotel portfolio in a bid to expand its share in Dubai's hotel industry, reports ehotelier.
As the second largest and most profitable Arab carrier, Emirates Airline carries the largest number of passengers to and from Dubai and also takes care of their accommodation during their stopover in the city, the report said.
Emirates' hotel projects include the Emirates Park Towers, a twin tower complex with 900 guest rooms and 300 serviced apartments, the Emirates Green Lakes, a 350-apartment complex, and the Emirates Marina Hotel and Residence, a complex with 261 rooms and apartments to be opened in September.
 
Extended Stay Equals Extended Profits
There’s something about extra space that’s got hotel guests going gaga for extended stay hotels. With more residential flair and larger room sizes than the traditional hotel, consumers are finding these properties to be a strong value. Owners and developers are in love with these properties too since extended stay properties are getting a pricing premium and seeing higher occupancy levels than in other lodging sectors.
According to HotelInteractive, even when the hotel business as a whole shifts downward, the nature of the extended stay niche is better insulated. That’s because these hotels – ideally designed for stays of five to 30 days – are geared more to relocations, temporary housing in times of crisis and corporate training.
According to The Highland Group’s Peggy Berg that all means more bang for the buck for guests and better operator margins. “Overall, [extended stay] continues to maintain occupancy premiums of more than 11% to the rest of the industry. That’s done through bad times and good times and these products continue to offer strong value for the guest,” she said, during an extended stay conference held in Atlanta last week.
 
Airbus Seeks Extended Warm Reception
The A380's U.S. tour last week did not eliminate airline industry doubts, but it certainly bolstered Airbus' case that the troubled airplane may someday gain a measure of acceptance thestreet.com has reported..
In fact, response to the plane was positive enough that it may have helped to raise expectations for Airbus' other problem child, the A350. "The tour sent a message that despite all the delays and the problems back in Europe, Airbus is capable of an impressive technical achievement," says airline analyst Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group. "I think [that] is useful for 350 sales."
Dozens of reporters who flew on demonstration flights had generally favorable reactions. "It's helpful to all product lines," said Airbus spokesman Clay McConnell, as the tour concluded. "The A380 is the signature airplane of Airbus right now, [and] it is a rock star that is getting a lot of attention."
Both the A380 and the A350 have been plagued with problems that include cost overruns, delivery delays and a meltdown at parent company European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company. But the A380, at least, is now flying, and the promise of a 2007 delivery to customer Singapore Airlines seems likely to be honored.
 
Slot Machines Coming To Your Hotel Room
Gambling technology is making advances to gain access to your pocketbook through the palm of your hand. Now out of the test-engineering phase and ready to connect to the Nevada casino market is CasinoVision, a remote-gaming system that plays on existing cable TV networks says a recent article in the Las Vegas Business Press.
"We have spent the last few years testing the system to make it user friendly, as well as structurally sound as possible," said Steven Campbell, chief technology officer of CasinoVision. Campbell, a mechanical engineer, has worked in the local gambling industry for 11 years.
Since most televisions in casinos and hotels are connected to a movie system, the CasinoVision program connects that system to the resident slot machines without any additional cable. When CasinoVision is turned on, every TV connected to the movie system will have the ability to play slot games. In comparison with other handheld devices, which can be pricey and offer a limited screen, Campbell's product can project a poker game on a 60-inch LCD screen.
 
U.S., International Fares Rise; Domestic Rates Below Milestone
Air passengers paid an average of 7.2% more for domestic flights in 2006, while international flights, on average, cost 5.8% more than in 2005, according to an annual study published by American Express Business Travel. While ticket prices for international flights reached record levels in 2006, the average domestic flight was still cheaper than in 2000, prior to the downturn in the U.S. airline industry.
In 2006, says The Wall Street Journal, the average price for a domestic ticket was $231, less than the $259 average ticket price in 2000. In the past few years, discount airlines, such as Southwest Airlines Co. and JetBlue Airways Corp., have gained a significant share of the business-travel market, forcing traditional large airlines to lower their fares.
During 2006, average domestic fares fell from a high of $247 in the second quarter to $216 in the fourth quarter, as companies paid less for their employees' flights. "Companies began buying smarter, and more aggressively managing employee compliance," said Mike Streit, head of American Express Business Travel Advisory services.
But international flights last year cost more than they did six years ago. In 2006, the average international fare was $1,707, up from $1,468 in 2000.
 
Airline Entertainment Offerings Go High-Tech
A decade ago, in-flight entertainment consisted of watching a movie projected on a shared screen whose images were often distorted or blocked by fellow passengers' heads. But like most things in the airline industry, says the Washington Post, entertainment systems have come a long way. Airlines are shelling out big money for high-tech gear in a bid to attract and keep more passengers.
It may be a double-edged sword, offering potential for more income, but at higher cost, while airlines struggle with near record fuel prices and fierce fare competition.
A new generation of in-flight entertainment, or IFE, systems, such as audio/video-on-demand and satellite TV, allows passengers to choose from new Hollywood films or television shows. They can start, stop, and fast-forward them on individual screens, adding choice and control.
But the state-of-the-art gear does not come cheap. "Next to the engines, it's the second most expensive item on an aircraft," said Lori Krans, spokeswoman for Thales Aerospace, one of the world's largest IFE makers. Analysts estimate prices range anywhere from $2 million to $5 million per aircraft.
British-based Inflight Management Development Center has forecast worldwide airline spending on IFE equipment will rise to $1.6 billion this year from $1.4 billion in 2006. It pegged total spending between 2006 and 2011 at $12.9 billion.
The consulting firm also expects 76% of aircraft with more than 100 seats will have some type of IFE over the same period, up from 46% last year.
 
Tourists From UK, Germany, Japan And France Dropped 5% Last Year
The number of tourists to the USA from the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany and France dropped 5% last year, a development that alarms the U.S. tourism industry.
Those four nations typically supply almost half of all the foreign tourists visiting the USA reports USA Today. New Commerce Department figures show there were about 10 million visits to the USA last year from those four countries, 500,000 fewer than in 2005.
The drop-off, the first decline for any of those countries since 2003, worries U.S. tourism leaders because overseas visits continue to lag behind pre-9/11 levels. The decline "underscores the need for the U.S. government to do a much better job of inviting people and welcoming visitors to the country," says Jay Rasulo, the Disney executive who is chairman of the Travel Industry Association of America.
Despite the falloff in the biggest markets, the number of international visits to the USA was up in 2006, nearly matching the record of 51.2 million in 2000. That's because visits from Canada and Mexico were up sharply. Those visitors, however, tend to take shorter trips and spend less money.
 
US Pandemic Could Cost Tourism $683 Billion
US states that rely on tourism and entertainment for much of their economy would likely be the hardest hit during a severe influenza pandemic, with Nevada and Hawaii the most impacted areas, according to TravelMole.
The Trust for America's Health projected a $683 billion economic loss nationally during a pandemic, which is about 5.5% of the goods and services produced in the US. The number is comparable to a previous analysis conducted for the US Congress, but the latest report is the first to break down the impact by state.
Nevada's economy could take a hit of more than 8%, while Hawaii's economic output could fall by about 6.6%. Four other states – Alaska, Wyoming, Nebraska and Louisiana – also stand to take impacts of greater than 6% in their gross domestic product.
 
Now Opening: 800 New Hotels
Starting this spring, the U.S. hotel industry will unleash an unusually large crop of new properties. Some of the most distinctive – and luxurious – are opening in places that might not be on some travelers' shortlist of vacation spots.
The Wall Street Journal reports that for one of its new properties, Renaissance is meticulously renovating a landmark former Masonic temple in downtown Providence, R.I. When it opens in May it'll be linked with walkways to the Veterans Memorial Auditorium, which hosts opera and ballet performances. For some Vegas pizzazz, Hilton developers enlisted the designers of the iconic Bellagio fountain to create a version at its newly opened Branson, Mo., outpost. And later this summer, the new J.W. Marriott in Grand Rapids, Mich., will open with a helipad for guests from nearby cities like Detroit and Chicago.
In all, more than two-thirds of the top 30 fastest-growing hotel destinations this year are outside the country's biggest cities. The boom – more than 800 new hotels are opening this year – reflects the completion of projects that were greenlighted when the post-9/11 travel slump started to improve.
But while this means more options for weekend getaways, industry analysts say travelers may also run into glitches common to new hotels, such as slow response to room-service calls. Traditionally new properties work out their kinks during a so-called soft launch. Reluctant to leave revenue-raising rooms empty, more hotels are skipping that period, says Bjorn Hanson, a lodging consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers. This increases the pressure on staff to perform perfectly right out of the starting gate. And at some hotels, overall employee numbers are being reduced.
Don't expect incentives to try the newest places. Chains say that with high occupancy levels they won't be offering opening deals. Last year, an average night at a hotel cost $97, up 18% since 2002, according to Smith Travel Research.
The biggest shift for travelers is the extent to which hotels are targeting cities beyond the usual leisure-travel suspects. In some cases, this simply reflects attempts to capture business travelers. In others, it shows how more destinations are competing for the weekender crowd.
 
The Latest Amenity: A Hypoallergenic Room
As more hotels try to set themselves apart, a new amenity is emerging: the hypoallergenic hotel room.
The concept isn’t aimed just at the allergic, says The New York Times, but also at guests who are concerned with what might be called the ick factor. “The whole thing is geared toward ‘What about the guy before me?’ ” said Tom Kammerer, a managing director at Thayer Lodging, a private hotel real estate investment firm in Annapolis, Md.
Thayer Lodging is working with Pure Solutions, based in Cheektowaga, N.Y. Thayer is converting about 10% of the rooms at each of its 13 hotels into Pure rooms by the end of this year. “That’s why we have encasements over our pillows and mattresses. The natural human body sheds 150,000 cells a day. After a year or so it gets – you know. We’re trying to cut down on breathing in other people’s stuff.”
From the Fairmont Vancouver Airport hotel to the Mandarin Oriental in Miami, hotels are doing everything from replacing feather duvets to installing air purifiers in guest rooms. Some are ripping out carpets and drapes, which tend to harbor dust and trap odors, and replacing them with smooth surfaces. Others are making less visible changes, outfitting pillows and mattresses with liners that help contain dust mites and swabbing phones, doorknobs and other surfaces with antimicrobial agents.
Hilton and Millennium Hotels, each of which is testing the concept in a few hotels, said they might consider expanding it to more properties depending on demand. NYLO Hotels, a new brand scheduled to open its first hotel in Plano, Tex., in November, plans to offer at least one floor of allergy-friendly rooms at each of its locations.
Hotels say it’s not uncommon to get special requests from guests with allergies. “We get a lot of requests for special blankets, special pillows, no spray in the rooms,” said Maureen O’Brien, director of sales at the Premier, a Millennium Hotel, which spent $30,000 to convert three floors to Pure rooms this year. The hotel is also using a line of natural bath products in those rooms for guests with sensitive skin and noses.
But mostly, hotels see the creation of super-clean rooms as a way to gain an edge now that amenities like plush beds and flat-screen TVs have often become standard.
Thayer Lodging is charging a 5 to 10% premium for Pure rooms -- at hotels including Marriotts, Hilton Doubletrees and Wyndhams. “If all you’ve got is good service, and ‘Gee, my room was clean’ -- well, you kind of expect that today,” Mr. Kammerer said. “We’re looking for things in our hotels that are extraordinary and give you a wow factor.”
 
Kempinski To Manage Luxury Trains In China
Kempinski Hotels and Tangula International have agreed that Kempinski will manage the new Tangula luxury trains in China. Inaugural journeys will depart from Lhasa, Lijiang and Beijing in Spring 2008.
The purpose-built Tangula trains will take guests on two distinctive routes through China, crossing wild grasslands, desert plains and vast plateaus. Departing from Beijing, the five-day/four night journey to Lhasa ventures across the mystical Tibetan plateau.
The Beijing to Lijiang route also takes five-days/four nights and explores the inspiring landscapes of Guangxi and Yunnan provinces. Tangula trains leaving both Lhasa and Lijiang for Beijing will follow a four-day/three night itinerary. On all routes, daily off-train excursions will enable guests to further immerse themselves in local cultures and traditions.
According to Hotel Travel News each Tangula luxury train will accommodate up to 96 passengers in 48 spacious suites. The suites will feature an en-suite bathroom with shower, mini bar and in-room entertainment system with music, TV and satellite internet. A butler is on call throughout the journey, while a doctor is available during the ascent to Lhasa.
 
All-Inclusive Luxury Vacations On The Rise
Once the domain of the budget-minded, all-inclusives are courting travelers who typically stay in five-star hotels. "The stigma (of all-inclusives) is very fast going away," says Luis Namnum, worldwide marketing vice president for Occidental Hotels & Resorts. "Similar to the cruise lines, there are different segments" within all-inclusive chains.
Each year brings ever-more-luxurious resorts with meals, activities and premium booze included in the daily rate. Some examples from USA Today:

 

Fliers Could See Lower Fares, More Choice As Open-Skies Deal Gets OK
Europe's transportation ministers agreed Thursday to scrap most restrictions on trans-Atlantic flights, holding out the prospect of cheaper fares and a bigger choice of airlines for passengers.
The European Union ministers, meeting in Brussels on Thursday, unanimously approved a long-sought agreement dubbed open skies that already had been approved by the United States. It's designed to enhance competition among airlines by letting them fly from anywhere in the USA to anywhere in Europe and vice versa.
The ministers delayed the effective date for five months at Great Britain's request, putting it in effect on March 30, 2008, instead of Oct. 28, 2007. The delay allows London Heathrow, the busiest airport in Europe, to open a fifth terminal. The open-skies agreement is expected to be signed as soon as possible, perhaps at a U.S.-EU summit on April 30 in Washington, D.C.
USA Today reports that the deal replaces a patchwork of bilateral agreements between European nations and Washington and some protective arrangements that date to the end of World War II. The agreements have limited competition by restricting the overseas destinations of airlines on both sides of the Atlantic.
The net result for passengers will be $15.9 billion in savings in five years, the European Commission estimates, as 25 million more people fly between U.S. and European cities. The commission also estimates that the growth in air travel will create 80,000 jobs.
 
Report: Internet Audience Up 10% Worldwide
The Internet reaches 747 million people worldwide reports Clickz.com. The data are according to numbers released by comScore Networks's World Metrix service.
The greatest growth over the past year comes from India (33%); the Russian Federation (21%); and China (20%).
Online engagement topped an average 27 hours spent each month in the top 10 countries in this grouping. Hours spent was strongest in Canada (39.6 hours); Israel (37.4 hours); and South Korea (34 hours).
The data are part of comScore's World Metrix service which measures and reports online behavior on a worldwide basis. The service includes visitation metrics and demographic characteristics for Web site audiences globally.
 
Google Tests Action-Priced Ads
Google said it has begun a test of a new ad pricing structure that allows marketers to pay only when customers perform specific actions says AdWeek.
Advertisers specify actions they will pay for, such as newsletter registrations, brochure downloads or product sales, as well as prices. Through a tag on the advertiser's site, Google tracks visitors' responses.
Google said the test ads would not run on its search results pages, but instead on its AdSense network of content sites. And AdSense publishers would get unprecedented control over the ads that run on their sites if they choose to accept the pay-per-action ads. They would be able to choose from groups of ads or individual promotional offers.
By moving to a cost-per-action model, Google could entice more advertisers to join its AdSense network, where agencies frequently report lower conversion rates for ads compared to search results pages.
 
Ditch The Smelly Sleeping Bag And Go Glamping – “Glamorous Camping”
Did a bad experience turn you off to camping? Maybe your tent leaked in a rainstorm or you shivered all night in a borrowed, smelly sleeping bag. Or that thin foam pad you were trying to sleep on didn't do much to protect your back from the rocky, uneven ground beneath your tent.
It doesn't have to be that way says Associated Press. Tour companies and resorts now offer luxury camping, and the term "glamping" – shorthand for glamorous camping – is starting to turn up in reports from the United Kingdom and Canada. The New York Post recently mentioned "glamping" in an article on a new website for luxury travel, www.globorati.com. (The story also referred to "jetrosexuals" as a globetrotting jetsetter who thinks nothing of hopping on a plane to Asia for a shopping spree.)
In British Columbia, Canada, the Clayoquot Wilderness Resort, a 30-minute boat ride from the town of Tofino, is offering "glamping" on a fjord on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Tents have Persian carpets, down duvets and even electricity. There's a sauna and hot tubs on site, and activities including fishing, horseback riding, kayaking, hikes and wildlife-watching.
But if you thought camping was a budget vacation option, you'll have to readjust your expectations for glamping. Three-night packages at the Clayoquot resort begin at $4,100 a person, double occupancy. Details at 888-333-5405 or www.wildretreat.com.
Other tour companies offer luxury tent accommodations as well. Abercrombie & Kent has several trips to Africa that include high-end camping, such as guided tours of Botswana that include game drives and accommodations in "walk-in tents with extra length beds, crisp sheets and warm blankets," plus a "mess tent" for what's described as "bush-style haute cuisine" served on china and linen tablecloths.
 
Study: Hotel Sites Go Back To Basics
What's the latest thing in online marketing for hotels? Site design.
Hotels have awakened to the challenge from online travel agencies, and they are shifting money into online marketing to meet it, according to a new study by Hospitality eBusiness Strategies (HeBS).
The worldwide study of hospitality executives found that 68% of hoteliers plan to shift their budgets from offline to online marketing in 2007.
Emerging media will not be part of the mix for most hotels, based on respondent opinions about what produces the best return on investment (ROI). Web site optimization was listed most often (72%) by hotel execs, followed by search optimization and organic search (68%) and Web site redesign/design (62%).
Only 17% of respondents named consumer-generated media, blogs and their ilk as bringing high ROI. This is particularly relevant for online video, because individual hotel videos are a competitive advantage that many online travel agencies do not have.
eMarketer senior analyst and travel specialist Jeffrey Grau noted the motivation behind hotels' focus on the fundamentals, saying that "to compete with online travel agencies, hotels are focusing on improving the usability and functionality of their Web sites."
New media is even more of an afterthought in intended 2007 budget allocations, where it came in among the least allocated Internet budget items.
Although this approach may seem single-minded, hotel executives are onto something. In a January 2007 study of US ad executives by Outsell, as reported by MediaPost, 75% named company Web sites as effective or extremely effective at lead generation.
 
Priceline Adds Zagat Hotel Reviews
Priceline has stepped up its hotel review content with the signing of a deal with Zagat in which priceline.com customers will have exclusive, free access to Zagat online hotel reviews.
Zagat Survey information will be available for hotels, restaurants and attractions in the United States and select international locations. The Zagat information, combined with traveler reviews provided by priceline.com customers, covers over 600 cities and thousands of hotels, restaurants and attractions says Internet Travel News.
 
A Record Number Of Cheap Cruises Pirating Industry Profits
If you leave the steadily growing amenities aside, travelers are finding another major reason to book cruises: low prices. "The inflation-adjusted price of a cruise has never been lower. It honestly is a buyer's market out there," said Alan Fox, chairman of the Houston travel agency Vacations to Go.
Prices average about $70 per day on some ships, he says, "and it got down to as low as $40 in the fall." As a result, there's been a general softness in demand for Caribbean cruises last year says TravelMole.
That's cutting into revenues for cruise lines, however, according to industry executives at the annual Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention held this month.
Some other trends:

 

Survey: 'Voluntourism' Vacations Taking Off
Surveys conducted recently by Orbitz, Travelocity and the Travel Industry Association of America confirm that consumers are becoming more interested in vacations with a volunteerism aspect, also known as "voluntourism."
Opportunities that once existed largely with non-profit activist groups are being adopted by a wide range of travel agencies and tour operators, too reports Associated Press. Sally Brown, who heads the Indianapolis not-for-profit group Ambassadors for Children, said the number of travel organizations of various kinds that offer voluntourism trips has probably doubled in the past three years.
Many of the vacation volunteers are baby boomers, who have the money to spend and the time to donate as they edge closer to retirement. But with inspiration coming from a variety of sources – be it 9/11, Hurricane Katrina or just having more disposable income – participants range from teenagers to retirees. Voluntourism is catching on in college campuses, where many students would rather spend spring break doing something altruistic than carousing.
They don't always have to rough it, either. Ambassadors for Children even offers a "light" mission in which travelers stay at a four-star hotel in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and spend three of the eight days visiting an orphanage, library and preschool. That may appeal to a family group wishing to make a cultural connection, Brown said, or just those wanting to mix purpose with pleasure.
"Immersion with voluntourism is so much more than you could get by sitting on a beach or on a tour bus," said Brown, a one-time flight attendant who founded the organization in 1998.
 
Hello, Asia, You’re Cruising's New Frontier
The Los Angeles Times reports that representatives from the Asia-Pacific region attended the Seatrade Cruise Shipping Conference in mid-March, beginning an aggressive marketing campaign with the goal of making Asia a competitor in the world cruise market. Many of them toured ports in Miami and Port Everglades to get a sense of U.S. port operations.
``Asia is blooming, maybe because people are too familiar with the south Caribbean or South America, and you know Europe is too expensive,'' said Michael C.Y. Chang, director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York. ``Most of the countries in Asia are in a very good shape, and it's reasonable in cost and it has major wonders and culture.''
 
Virgin Launches Flight Film Festival
Virgin Atlantic has joined forces with the National Film and Television School to showcase new film making talent onboard in its own Film Festival in the Sky.
Over the next four months, says Airline Travel News, Virgin Atlantic will be screening 14 specially selected short films on its inflight entertainment system. Passengers can watch the films during their flight and then vote until the end of June to compile a shortlist of six films that will be shown onboard for a further three months.
During this time the finalists will be assessed by a panel of highly respected industry figures and a winner and two runners up will be chosen. These three filmmakers will have their film screened onboard for a further three months. The overall winner will receive Virgin Atlantic tickets and have their next film shown onboard to a potential audience of 5 million passengers.
The panel of judges consists of actress Brenda Blethyn, actor Nick Moran, Stephen Woolley, former chairman of the British Academy, and Sue Lion, Managing Director of the Encounters International Short Films Festival.
                 
International Market Holds Great Promise For U.S. Hotel Brands
Delivering the 2006-2007 Stephen Brener Lecture in Hospitality Management in New York recently, Wyndham Hotel Group President and CEO Steven Rudnitsky made a strong business case for U.S. lodging companies aggressively pursuing international development.
“While the U.S. lodging industry is expected to see RevPAR growth of 5.8% in 2007, this pales compared to the rate of growth expected in many international markets, particularly in emerging destinations,” Rudnitsky said in the annual lecture sponsored by the Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management of New York University. As examples, China is expected to see annual RevPAR growth this year of 15%, while RevPar growth in Eastern Europe is projected to be 14.1%.
Compounding the opportunity for companies like Wyndham, which has 10 brands and 6,400 – most franchise – hotels worldwide, representing 534,000 rooms, is that a large percentage of hotels in international locations are unbranded says HotelBusiness.
“As we build the visibility and reputation of these brands globally, this represents a tremendous growth opportunity for us,” Rudnitsky confirmed, noting that only 39% of hotels in Europe and 52% of hotels in Asia Pacific are presently branded. By comparison, 67% of hotels in the U.S. are branded.
Among the benefits of branding, according to Rudnitsky – when the brand is internationally known – are access to a central reservations system and points-and-miles frequent guest program.
 
Bus Line Appeals To Shoestring Travelers With New Routes
For Internet-savvy travelers on a budget, Megabus.com claims to offer a service that makes mainstream bus travel seem pricey: rides from Pittsburgh to Chicago for as little as $1.
The Chicago-based company, which began operating in a number of Midwestern cities last year, plans to launch new service April 2 in Pittsburgh; Ann Arbor, Mich.; Columbus, Ohio; Kansas City, Mo., and Louisville It already offers service between Chicago and Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, St. Louis and Toledo. 
"We're really trying to get people out of their car," Dale Moser, president and chief operating officer of Coach USA, the domestic subsidiary of Scotland-based Stagecoach Group PLC, which runs Megabus. "We think that's the real big advantage."
According to USA Today, Megabus uses online ticketing and sidewalk stops instead of ticket counters and bus terminals. Passengers do not buy tickets, but instead give drivers reservation numbers they receive when booking online. The low-cost model was imported from the United Kingdom, where Stagecoach introduced a similar service nearly four years ago.
"The demand for this type of service has been outstanding," Moser said before a news conference on a street corner in downtown Pittsburgh. "I don't have a terminal, so I don't have bricks-and-mortar," he said. "I don't have the staff that maintains it. Everything's back room — it's all computer sales. I have nobody handling cash. I have nobody handling any kind of transactions at the bus. The bus driver is focused on taking care of the customers and driving safely."
Advance planning gets you the lowest fares. A limited number of seats are priced at $1, and the fares increase incrementally based on the time between the booking and departure dates, a pricing scheme used by discount airlines.
"But I will tell you that the highest-price seat is still cheaper than all the alternatives to get from Pittsburgh to Chicago," Moser said. The most expensive ticket for such a trip, booked 24 hours in advance, would be $43.50, he said.
 
Connectivity Blues Ground Business Travelers
Business travelers are finding it more of a headache to get online than a year ago, according to research conducted by silicon.com.
Despite the seemingly unstoppable rise of wi-fi hotspots in coffee shops, airports, metropolitan areas and even on-board trains, the annual silicon.com Business Traveler Survey found the number of travelers who "sometimes" have difficulty getting online while on the road has increased by seven percentage points - standing at 67%, up from 60% last year.
And worryingly this seems to be costing people business. Twenty per cent of respondents said they believe they have lost business as a result of not being able to get online while on the move. This is up from 18% last year.
The proportion of survey respondents who said they "rarely" have difficulties connecting to the net when at large fell from 23% to 17%, while those who do not have any problems getting online dropped from 5% to just 3%.
Business travelers who said they "always" have trouble connecting on the road remained unchanged, at 13%.
 
South Africa Sees Surge In Tourism In 2006
More than eight million tourists visited South Africa in 2006, Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalwyk said on Wednesday. "We attracted over a million more tourists in 2006 than in 2005, representing an increase of 13.6%," Mr. Schalwyk said, according to a report carried on South Africa Good News.
Attracting more tourists from around the globe, he said, created even more jobs and economic opportunities, enabling us to meet the expectations created for the industry in terms of the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative.
He added that the country had received visitors from every region in the world: “we had an increase of more than 73,000 visitors from Europe, almost 30,000 more visitors from North America, and over 30,000 more visitors from Asia, Australasia and the Middle East. The growth rate for our overseas arrivals kept pace with international industry growth, our 16.9% growth in arrivals from Africa far exceeded the international benchmark."
However, he said, one key market that did not show growth was China. "I am confident that we can overcome the challenges in this regard. With the further rollout of our airlift strategy, we are certain to see continued growth from Africa and other major regions of the world."
 
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