Travel on the Rebound, US Tourists Plan to Spend $86.4 Billion this Summer
As the economy rebounds and the demand for travel is on the rise, Americans are expected to spend nearly 16 billion US dollars more on their summer travel of 2011 than they have spent a year ago. The total amount US tourists plan to spend on summer vacations this year is up 22% compared to 2010, totaling 86.4 billion US dollars.This comes as a bit of a surprise among serious concern over high gas prices, which were expected to drive down traveling for North America.
The data was released today in a survey by global travel assistance company Mondial Assistance USA and their travel insurance brand, Access America. According to the survey results, almost half (45%) of Americans are confident they’ll take a summer vacation this year, 5% more than in 2010, and 10% more than in 2009. Read more…
Music Festivals around the World
Music and travel are the ideal combination for many, so what better way to experience some of your favourite live music than by incorporating it with a visit to some of the most scenic places on earth. Music festivals have always been popular and with more taking place every year travellers have the option to visit fantastic countries all over the world and see their favourite artists live at the same time.
Be prepared before you go and do your research, always take out travel insurance before travelling abroad to a festival and keep valuables on your person to a minimum; once all that is done grab your sun cream and head to some of the best music festivals around the world. Read more…
Americans Will Cut Costs But Not Give up on Travel this Summer
In spite of raising gas prices, more and more Americans are planning on travelling this summer. According to the most recent American Express Spending & Saving Tracker, 8% more Americans plan to travel this summer compared to 2010. The average prices they are willing to play on their summer vacations are of $300 per person for a weekend or three-day gateway and about $1,200 per person person for longer trips.
“Staycations, popularized during the recession, are falling to the wayside as consumers go beachside instead,” said Claire Bennett, senior vice president and general manager of American Express Travel. “Most Americans will be enjoying their summer away from home this year with many planning multiple vacations. This is terrific news for the travel industry.”
This year’s American Express Spending & Saving Tracker analyses consumers’ spending and saving as related to traveling on a random sample of 2,025 US travelers over 18. Read more…
Virginia Celebrates National Tourism Week with Revamped Vacation Website
The US National Tourism Week starts on May 7 and will end on May 15 (not your traditional 7-day week) and Virginia is the first to start celebrating. They have kicked off the national travel celebration with a revamped and improved vacation website for the Commonwealth – Virginia.org. The new site version makes it easier for travelers to plan a Virginia vacation through its added new technology and social media connectivity.
The new Virginia.org vacation planning website features interactive mapping, deals and travel packages, and a vacation recommendation engine for those who haven’t quite decided what they want to do on their holiday. The site also features multiple social media sharing tools, connecting it with Facebook, Twitter and Flickr, making it easy for travelers to share their top vacation choices and photos of the places they have seen with friends and family. Read more…
New Roller Coasters for 2011
The recession has seen many Theme parks’ capital budget held back over the last few years, but even still, there are many theme parks building new and exciting rides all over the world. Here is a round up of some rides to get you foaming at the mouth.
The Green Lantern at Magic Mountain
This new ride looks like unlike anything you may have seen before, unless you have been to Grona Lund where the exact same ride has been featured for a couple of years. Read more…
Big U.S. Air Carriers Increase Prices for Round Trips
With the approaching busy summer travel season, U.S. airlines like United, Continental, American and Delta are raising their prices for round trips by $10.
The big U.S. airlines’ move is but another one in a longer series of attempts and was not well received by some of the low-cost carriers that did not yet match the price increase.
“It’s the good old college try – if it doesn’t work, you try again. One week it’s going to stick.” declared Tom Parsons, CEO of BestFares.com.
After two base fares increases in January, three in February and one in March, the prices of some heavily traveled routes have risen with almost 20 percent in the last year, according to Mr. Parsons. Read more…
Booking flights in the US gets more complicated
If booking your flight and getting through the whole check in, security check, boarding procedure were not complicated enough, US has just made them a little more complicated and even less private then before. According to new rules issued by the Transportation Security Administration, a branch of the Department of Homeland Security, starting November 1st, travelers who do not provide their full name, gender, and date of birth within 72 hours prior to their departure risk being denied boarding by the TSA. Read more…
