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Peter Yesawich: Traveler Sentiment Index Going Up |
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Wednesday, 13 May 2009 14:59
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Written by Administrator
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Affordability noted as key driver during Resort Conference session
Peter Yesawich, Ph. D, president and CEO of YPartnership, discussed consumer travel habits, preferences and intentions during the third virtual Resort Conference webinar session, “Emerging Lifestyles and Travel Trends: Implications for Resort Marketing.”
The 90-minute session, moderated by David L. Corsun, Ph.D., director and associate professor of the School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management, Daniels College of Business, University of Denver,presented research findings revealed in Ypartnership's National Travel Monitor™ and travelhorizons™ surveys, and their implications for future resort marketing practices.
Yesawich noted that their Traveler Sentiment Index is on the upswing, with the biggest factor being the perceived current affordability of travel, cited by 97% of surveyed travelers. Also, despite the economy, “54 percent of active travel households are planning travel in the next six months, up from 50 percent last year.” Travelers are “trading down, not out.” Consumers are seeking out packages to book, staying fewer nights, and comparison shopping online to save money.
“Personalization will become the new service strategy for many resorts,” Yesawich stated. “As consumers become more comfortable with the idea of paying a premium to get what they want, personalization will become key.”
Yesawich also touched upon the issue of time poverty and how many travelers feel that they don’t have enough time for vacations.
“Ease of access is the single greatest challenge for resorts in remote locations,” said Yesawich. “If a consumer is going on a four day vacation, they don’t want to spend two days traveling, and are more likely to pick a closer vacation spot.” He also noted that, according to their research, “the older and more affluent you are, the less interested you become in traditional resort destinations, and the more likely you are to choose an urban destination.” |
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Travel Sites to Check Out Now |
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Thursday, 23 April 2009 00:00
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Written by Administrator
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 A recent article appeared in the April 12 version of the SF Chronicle which is worth a read. There are useful links to your favorite discount travel resources, booking engines and review sites such as Frommers.com, Kayak.com, TripAdvisor and PriceLine.com. They also introduce a few of the newer sites that should be on your radar for your next trip (text quoted from actual article):
Triporati.com: Though still in beta (development mode), this site has a fascinating premise: Pick from dozens of interests (theme parks, beach activities, nightlife, markets) and the site will tell you where to go. In addition to suggested destinations, Triporati has advice from guidebook writers and a few travel videos, but some of these seem to end in midstream.
TripAdvisor.com Flight Search: Though not technically a new site, TripAdvisor recently launched a Kayak-style metasearch booking tool for flights. TA's Flight booking service has some novel features, such as the Fee Estimator, which predicts fees for checking luggage or getting a drink or meal onboard. There are links to SeatGuru reviews to help you select a good airline seat.
FareCompare.com: This looks like an Expedia-style search site but provides data on how airfares fluctuate by day and month, so if you're flexible you can target your travels to the time when fares are lowest. The site displays calendars showing what days typically have the lowest fares.
Gusto.com: Combining travel reviews, blogs, booking and trip journals, this new site features travel guides compiled by the site's members. Gusto hasn't yet reached critical mass - TripAdvisor is more thorough, but it has potential.
FareCast.com: With an uncanny knack for predicting when airfares will rise or fall, FareCast can help you decide when to purchase your tickets. Of course FareCast isn't always right, so buyer beware.
If you are interested in a trip to Alaska, the deals have never been better.. I'll see you there! |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 24 April 2009 21:09 )
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Secure Flight Up and Running |
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Friday, 03 April 2009 17:49
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Written by Administrator
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As part of their recently announced Secure Flight Program, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has stated that they will be shifting pre-screening responsibility away from individual airline carriers and back to themselves in order to increase accuracy in identifying watch-list passengers.
According to their press release, "Secure Flight [also] protects sensitive watch list data and enables officials to address security threats sooner, keeping air travel safer."
Under the program, each airline will request passenger’s full name, date of birth and gender when booking a flight, then will share these with the TSA who will then match them against its watch-list, and provide boarding pass instructions back to the airline. See image below.
It seems obvious to me that this power should lie with one governing body as opposed to the bottle neck and inconsitency created when handled by each individual airline. As long as the TSA has the resources to handle passenger information for ALL PASSENGERS who travel in the US, the result should be safer, more efficient travel for us all.
How long do we think it will take to actually role this out? Well, the goal of the TSA is to prescreen 100 percent of all domestic commercial flights by early 2010 and 100 percent of all international commercials flights by the end of 2010. |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 06 April 2009 23:30 )
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Baggage Handler Caught Stealing; Justice is Served |
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Friday, 03 April 2009 00:00
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Written by chris
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The Philadelphia Inquirer reports this week that an American Airlines baggage handler lifted four new articles of clothing from a passenger’s bag at Philadelphia International Airport. As it turns out the pieces still had their Nordstrom price tags on them, totalling $550 in value. After a quick call to the local Nordstroms, inspectors were able to pinpoint the items, the thief who returned them, and promptly arrested perpetrator, Christopher Shaw, on two theft charges. Justice is served and another rat is thrown out of the airline nest. |
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Free Drinks Reinstated on US Airways |
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Thursday, 26 February 2009 02:11
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Written by Administrator
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 In case you missed this week's news, CNN and WSJ reported that US Airways is eliminating their charge for water, juices, soda, coffee and tea. The "a la carte" program was successful as a new income stream but distracted passengers from improvements in their on-time ranking, which went from last place to second place. Beginning March 1st, non-alcoholic drinks will once again be free, but beer, wine and cocktails will still cost $7.
Great job, US Air. Next time I fly, I will raise a glass of water to "freedom!" |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 26 February 2009 02:25 )
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