The dye is cast. The plans have been made. Travel agent pundits have weighed in and foretold the truths in travel: where Americans will be headed through the remainder of the year. Not Surprisingly, New York City tops the list — a spot typically held by Orlando or Las Vegas.
Internationally, Americans are headed on Caribbean cruises, first and foremost, while the rest of the top five is rounded out by: Cancun, Mexico; London, England; European river cruises; and Rome, Italy.
A survey was conducted by Travel Leaders Group from August 3 – August 25, 2015, and includes responses from 1,152 U.S.-based travel agency owners, managers, and frontline travel agents from the flagship Travel Leaders brand, along with those affiliated with Travel Leaders Group.
The travel agents also provided insights into Greece travel, top types of trips and destinations for Millennials – with Honeymoon travel leading the list, and more than 87% of respondents indicated year-to-date comparable bookings are better than or the same as last year.
The agents from across the U.S. were asked to name up to five top domestic and international destinations they’re booking for the remainder of the year. The following information and trends are based on actual booking data.
|
Rank |
2015 FALL – Top Domestic |
Percentage |
2014 Rank |
|
1 |
New York City, NY |
30.8% |
4 |
|
2 |
Orlando, FL |
30.0% |
1 |
|
3 |
Maui, HI |
29.7% |
3 |
|
4 |
Las Vegas, NV |
29.1% |
2 |
|
5 |
Cruise – Alaska |
20.6% |
|
|
6 |
Los Angeles, CA |
19.5% |
8 |
|
7 |
San Francisco, CA |
17.7% |
6 |
|
8 |
Honolulu, HI |
16.0% |
5 |
|
9 |
Chicago, IL |
15.6% |
7 |
|
10 |
Washington, D.C. |
14.1% |
9 |
|
Rank |
2015 Fall – Top International |
Percentage |
2014 Rank |
|
1 |
CRUISE – Caribbean |
33.9% |
1 |
|
2 |
Cancun, Mexico |
31.4% |
2 |
|
3 |
London, England |
25.7% |
3 |
|
4 |
CRUISE – Europe (River) |
21.5% |
5 |
|
5 |
Rome, Italy |
21.4% |
4 |
|
6 |
Paris, France |
20.2% |
7 |
|
7 |
CRUISE – Europe (Mediterranean) |
18.2% |
6 |
|
8 |
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic |
14.3% |
8 |
|
9 |
Florence and/or Tuscany, Italy |
12.2% |
11 |
|
10 |
Montego Bay, Jamaica |
10.1% |
9 |
Additional Key Travel Survey Findings:
Over 87% Indicate Overall 2015 Travel Bookings are Better or the Same as 2014: When asked to compare overall 2015 travel bookings so far to 2014 at this time last year, a majority (62.8%) indicated that their bookings are higher and 24.4% indicated that they are the same as compared to a year ago.
|
2015 |
2014 |
2013 |
2012 |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
|
| They’re higher |
62.8% |
60.2% |
56.5% |
52.1% |
55.3% |
53.7% |
9.4% |
| They’re about even |
24.4% |
28.6% |
28.3% |
28.8% |
24.0% |
23.9% |
11.1% |
| They’re lower |
12.8% |
11.2% |
15.2% |
19.1% |
20.5% |
22.4% |
79.4% |
Cruise Bookings versus Last Year: When specifically asking those who counsel clients on cruise vacations about bookings compared to last year, 89% stated their comparable cruise bookings are either higher than or equal to this time last year (48.2% said cruise bookings are higher, while 35.5% said cruise bookings are on par with this time last year).
European River Cruises: European river cruising moved up a spot on Travel Leaders Group’s Top International Destination list for this fall. When comparing overall 2015 river cruise bookings, more than 85% stated their bookings are higher than or equal to this time last year (49.9% said European river cruise bookings are higher, and 35.5% said European river cruise bookings are on par with this time last year).
Millennial Travelers: As Millennials begin to travel more, Travel Leaders Group travel agents were asked whether they have seen an increase in clients who are 30 years old or younger. More than four out of every 10 respondents (41.3%) indicated that bookings for clients in that age range have increased, while 50.2% stated bookings have remained the same over the past year.
The top types of trips and destinations attracting travelers 30 years and under are:
|
1 |
Honeymoon |
63.4% |
|
2 |
Caribbean |
60.9% |
|
3 |
Mexico |
52.0% |
|
4 |
Active and Adventure |
45.3% |
|
5 |
U.S. – Hawaii |
35.0% |
Greece Travel: Because of the recent financial turmoil in Greece, we asked Travel Leaders Group agents to compare their current Greece bookings to this same time one year ago. More than 44% indicated that bookings are on par with last year, while 39.2% indicated their Greece bookings are down.
| Bookings are up | 16.6% |
| Bookings remain even | 44.1% |
| Bookings are down | 39.2% |
Optimism in the Travel Industry: When asked for their personal outlook on their business for the remainder of 2015, an overwhelming majority (97%) indicated they are either positive or neutral.
| 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | |
| Optimistic | 80.4% | 79.8% | 79.0% | 74.0% | 71.1% | 73.5% |
| Neither optimistic nor pessimistic | 16.6% | 16.0% | 15.3% | 18.3% | 20.5% | 19.3% |
| Pessimistic | 3.0% | 4.2% | 5.7% | 7.4% | 8.4% | 7.2% |
“The data we have collected indicates travel will continue to be strong for the remainder of the year, which is leading to incredible optimism among our travel agent specialists,” says Travel Leaders Group CEO Barry Liben. “It’s because of the work they do, on behalf of their clients – providing their knowledge, expertise and a safety net, if the need arises – that is helping Americans take full advantage of their travel budgets and discretionary income for travel opportunities.”
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