AITO poll defies ‘doom and gloom’
Wednesday, 05 Aug, 2009
0
More than three quarters of people intend to travel at least as much in 2009 as they did last year, a new study shows.
A consumer poll of more than 2,000 people backed by the Association of Independent Tour Operators found that 77% intend to travel at least as much as they did last year, with 72% expecting to spend at least as much money.
Bookings are down by an average of 12% on last year (January-March), according to operators.
This has not destroyed expectations for the second quarter of the year, however, as 44% of operators believe their bookings will recover to at least the same levels as April to June of last year.
Sixty per cent of the 50 operators quizzed reported that their lead period had shortened, confirming – as said – that consumers are “still cautious” about booking holidays but have “growing confidence”.
Consumers in the poll, conducted in conjunction with Wanderlust magazine, consider destination to be a more important factor than price when booking trips abroad, suggesting that price-led offers are not the main influence on where consumers decide to travel.
Only half of those questioned were planning a one- or two-week holiday in the UK, compared with more than 70% planning to travel to Europe.
Longer domestic holidays were also less popular. Less than 10% of consumers were planning a domestic holiday that lasted more than two weeks, compared with more than 60% for the rest of the world.
Travellers also reported that responsible tourism was high on their list of priorities when booking a holiday, ahead even of customer service.
“Overall, the message is very encouraging and highlights the importance for everyone in the travel industry to ensure they continue promoting their services to consumers who are still looking to travel as much as ever in 2009,” said an AITO spokesman.
by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025