Waiting & Watching
With the elections just a week away, the travel industry is beginning to not only feel the results of a bad economy, but they are beginning to come out of the closet and speak about it — upfront and honest.
I have not only read more about the concerns of our industry but have also heard from associates and friends that layoffs and cutbacks are happening now. Suppliers must prepare for a long, cold winter in so many ways. However, now might be just the time to gather the team and strategically plan for actually doing additional and frequent targeted marketing; thus taking advantage of a down situation and creating a distraction that will turn into results at a time when others have cut their marketing spend. Getting a leg up on the competition never hurt anyone.
Cut back where necessary, but keep creativity and bold moves up front. We will weather this storm as we have in the past even though it may take a bit longer, and your future success may ultimately depend on what your company does right now!
This just in from NBTA:
As a part of its ongoing effort to keep the business travel community informed about the impact of the financial crisis and economic downturn in the United States, NBTA surveyed 320 travel managers to find out how this situation is affecting their travel programs. Top-level findings of the NBTA surveys indicate:
The majority, about 50% of respondents, are reporting a mild impact on their companies.
A higher number of companies, more than 55%, are reporting a higher impact on their travel programs.
56% of the buyers feel confident about meeting their agreed levels of spend with their suppliers.
For 2009, a similar percentage of buyers (56%) have no intentions of scaling back on quotas agreed with travel suppliers.
By Frances Kiradjian, Publisher, TravelMole North America
Karen
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 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Major rail disruptions around and in Berlin until early 2026