03 October 2008

2009 travel trends pinpointed by US travellers

More Americans plan to be environmentally conscious in their travel decisions in 2009, a study shows.

The poll of more than 3,000 US travellers found an emerging trend in visits to national parks, hiking and adventure activities.

Thirty-two per cent of those surveyed said they will be more environmentally conscious in their travel decision, up from 26%.

Meanwhile, 34% plan to visit an environmentally-friendly hotel or resort in the coming year, up from 30 per cent in 2008.

Sixty-one per cent said the cost of fuel is an important consideration when choosing where to go on their next holiday.

The research by online travel community TripAdvisor also identified the top three emerging world hotspots for travel as Budoni, Sardinia; Agia Galini, Crete and Petra in Jordan.

Making up the top ten were Ardmore, Ireland; Peschiera del Garda, Italy;
Protaras, Cyprus; Torre del Mar, Spain; Hanioti, Greece; Wadduwa, Sri Lanka and Goslar, Germany.
The top US destinations for next year were identified as: St. George,
Utah; Englewood, Florida; Keauhou, Hawaii; Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania; Haines, Alaska;
Bainbridge Island, Washington; New Buffalo, Michigan; Pahoa, Hawaii; Gurnee, Illinois and Ruskin, Florida

Seventy-three per cent of US respondents said they plan to visit a national park in 2009, up from 62%.

Fifty-three per cent will go hiking in the coming year, up from 50%.

Forty-seven per cent plan an adventure activity, an increase from 40 per cent this year.

Thirty-three per cent will go cycling and biking, up from 28%, and 11% of travellers are likely to participate in an extreme sports activity, compared to eight per cent, according to the poll.

Forty-nine per cent said they have had more trouble booking desired flights in the past 12 months, than they did the previous year. Seventeen per cent said they had a flight cancelled this year because their route or flight was permanently eliminated from their carrier's schedule.

And 80% of US travellers think mobile phones should be banned on flights.

Sixty-nine per cent want wireless internet access on airlines, but only 14% are willing to pay for the privilege.

When asked what they can imagine airlines charging for in the future, half predicted a window view.

Seventy-one per cent think families with young children should sit in their own section of an aircraft while 13% think airlines should prohibit parents from flying with infants, except in the event of an emergency.

Thirty-seven per cent would pay extra to sit in a quiet section of an aircraft, and of that group, 38% would pay as much as a six-10 per cent premium.

Southwest, American and Delta emerged as the favourite US airlines, primarily for their friendly and helpful staff, good on-time arrival and departure record, and best fares. U.S. Airways was the least favourite, according to the survey.

The top airports for American travellers are Orlando International, Las Vegas, McCarran, and Amsterdam, Schiphol.

The friendliest travellers according to US respondents, are Americans, followed by Australians, Canadians, English and Irish. The most annoying travellers are also Americans, followed by French, Japanese, Germans, and Chinese.

TripAdvisor vice president of global communications Michele Perry said: "An emerging trend is travellers getting greener.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœThey plan to be more environmentally-conscious, and will be more active outdoors this year, taking advantage of some of the outstanding resources in the US, such as our beautiful national parks.

"For those interested in going farther afield, TravelCast's top emerging world destination is Budoni, Sardinia, a breathtaking beach destination in Italy."

by Phil Davies

Post your comment

Your Comments (6)

Doing Europe needs a rethink..

This survey does not to my mind sound right. I provide destination and entertainment lectures and presentations on leading cruise ships and at international conventions. As a result I meet scores of US tourists and delegates "doing Europe", you know they will spend most of the time on excursions, bouncing around for hours on end, in the back of a bus then, racing along at breakneck walking speed following the local tour guide (some good, some excellent, many poor) with a raised umbrella. They break, quick photo, then onwards. I would simply say to people you cannot do Rome in a day. A week and you barely scratch the surface. If you visit Europe, the plan should always be "less is more." Rome for example is a City to be enjoyed, even lingered over. In all these cities, people watching is the order of the day. If you are cruising, stop at the port for Rome Civitaveccia and say I'll do Rome next time. You'll have an amazing day in Civitaveccia, still see Roman artifacts,brilliant museums, ancient buildings and return to your hotel or cruise ship rested and relaxed not hot, sweaty and exhausted...

By JULIAN BRAY MCIPR,NUJ,MMC, Friday, October 10, 2008
The poll

A lot depends on how the questions were asked. First, this is an online poll conducted by TripAdvisor, so the sample is not representative of the population at large. Second, did they ask "Where would you like to go?" or "Here's a list of exotic destinations. Choose your favorites." Polls or surveys like these are more marketing vehicles than scientific research. And yes, some Americans CAN find Sri Lanka on a map and name the 10 Canadian provinces. However, I live 20 minutes from Illinois and have never heard of Gurnee, so I suspect these ideas were spoon-fed to the respondents.

By Michele McDonald, Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Americans' geo knowledge conflicts with poll

I must agree with other sentiments here. As Americans, what exactly are we seeking for adventure and can we find our way there? St. George, UT is near the idyllic swath of national parks in Utah, and only 90 minutes from the faux trappings of Vegas. Gurnee, IL - Chicago's outlet shopping mecca. Buffalo River, MI - just outside the Chicago megapolis, and just beyond Gary, IN. Ruffkin, FL - didn't even exist as a town until March 2006! And after we've tracked down these "top" destinations we're going venture off Goslar? I've been, and it's quaint, but so are the (much closer)Ozarks. And don't expect many Americans to be able to even find Cyprus or Sri Lanka on a map, let alone finding their way there, short of joining the Peace Corps.

By Chris Van Meter, Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Don~´t try to make sense of this

I am still waiting for a smart tourism student, who gathers the data from the TripAdvisor and other online polls and tries to make sense of the answers ..... From what I tried to follow it seems that a significant cohort claims green consciousness (though as Tina points out they don~´t really know what it means). But favourite destinations are really a flavour of the poll. And a would be a good idea to post a link to the details of the survey. Is it a serious effort or just a way of generating buzz.

By Ariane Janer, Monday, October 6, 2008
Where is the justification for this statement?

So, Americans are planning on becoming more environmentally conscious.. Is that in the far future? There is nothing here that seems to justify the statement that they will become more environmentally conscious. The top ten destinations are mostly far away, and the most polluting part of a trip is getting to and from the destination! You cannot make up for this by visiting a national park on your way home. What other questions were asked to make the statement that Americans are planning to become more environmentally conscious? Or is the statement simply referring to knowing about their impacts on the environment, but not actually doing anything to mitigate their negative impact?

By Tina Tiller, Saturday, October 4, 2008
Bizarre choices

I am staggered by the findings of this survey. US Travelers listing Protaras, Torre del Mar, Hanioti, Wadduwa, Sri and Goslar among their top ten destination choices!?! I live in Canada. Most Americans I know have never been here, and then there are those well-reported surveys which say school children can't find their own country on a map. Suddenly, Americans are picking places most heavy travelers have never heard of? I'd like to see more details about these statistics. How many votes or clicks does it take to make a top ten list?

By Allan Lynch, Friday, October 3, 2008