Group travel survey by LGT
ON FEBRUARY 20, 2009, Leisure Group Travel Magazine conducted a survey of group travel buyers regarding their groups’ travel intentions for the calendar year. This period was chosen as a strategic mid-point in the 2009 travel season, a time when group planners have a strong indication of advance customer deposits on large-ticket trips they launched for sale last summer/ fall and a firm handle on customer intentions for all trips scheduled through the first half of the year.
The survey was compiled by the magazine’s editorial team with invitations sent to Leisure
Group Travel’s InSite e-newsletter subscribers. 207 participants took part in the survey. While the results of the survey are weighed down by the overall sluggish economic environment
that is gripping the United States, the leisure group travel industry, compared to other market
sectors, is proving very resilient. Domestic and cruise travel indicators for 2009 are holding steady, a bright spot for any domestic destination or cruise line looking to salvage an otherwise
bleak 2009. While the overseas outbound market is showing cracks, there is business on the books.
How are leisure groups bucking the trend? In an “open response” format, readers indicated techniques they are employing to better market their business. Marketing & advertising was
mentioned more as the key ingredient in keeping their name out front than any other response. Groups are employing conventional and web-based strategies to stay fresh in prospective
customers’ minds, with an increased use of promotional discounts to lure travelers. Face-to-face presentations and a reshuffling of tour products have also been effective. While none of these tactics is new, they support the thesis that in a recession you can’t run away and hide if you want to thrive – a business needs to be visible and pro-active.
Based on responses from Leisure Group Travel readers, here is what’s happening in the marketplace:
• Seven in 10 leisure groups will plan an equal or higher number of trips in2009 than in 2008, with 55% planning about the same number and 14% planning more. Load factors, however, will be lower, according to 69% of respondents.
By
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Courtesy of leisuregrouptravel.com
Chitra Mogul
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