|
Travel Leaders Group unveiled the 2015 results
of its authoritative annual Travel Trends Survey. Based on the findings, there
is a major shake-up among the most popular U.S. destinations heading into the
New Year – the rugged and untamed beauty of Alaska, enjoyed via cruising, has
dethroned Las Vegas and stands at #1 in an extremely tight contest that also
includes Orlando, Maui, and New York City. The single, hottest destination trend
in travel last year – European river cruising – jumps up another spot in 2015 to
#4 on the Top International Destinations list, just behind Caribbean cruising,
Cancun (Mexico) and London, respectively. This year's survey results also reveal
that 96.5% of travel agents surveyed state client spending will be the same or
higher in the coming year and 85% of agents indicate that 2015 bookings are on
par or greater than this time one year ago.
This survey, based on actual booking data, was conducted by Travel Leaders Group
from November 11 - December 8, 2014, and includes responses from 1,226
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's Cruise Holidays, Cruise Specialists, Luxury Travel Network, Nexion,
Protravel International, Results! Travel, Travel Leaders Corporate, Tzell Travel
Group and Vacation.com units.
"For the past a decade and a half, Las Vegas and Orlando have jockeyed for the
top spot in our survey. So what we are seeing – even if mere tenths of a
percentage point separate our top four destinations – is a seismic shift for
American travelers in 2015. Alaska is vast, so cruising enables one to see so
much more of this enormously and stunningly beautiful area – plus, this type of
vacation, which can be perceived as slightly rustic, can be as luxurious as one
desires," stated Travel Leaders Group CEO Barry Liben. "Internationally, while
Caribbean cruising leads the way, Europe is drawing in Americans in the highest
numbers we've seen this millennium. Eight of the top 15 international
destinations this year are 'across the pond,' including London (#3), European
river cruises (#4), Rome (#5), Mediterranean cruises (#6) and Paris (#7). The
strong interest for those destinations plays a definite factor in our agents
stating nearly 97% of their clients will be spending the same or more on their
vacations in 2015."
Liben added, "An interesting headline from last week was on the 'Great Divide'
in which Wall Street is bullish and 'Main Street' is still a bit gloomy. From a
travel industry perspective, our travel agents have never been more optimistic.
Nearly 98% of Travel Leaders Group agents polled state they are positive or
neutral on the outlook for their business in the coming year. What they have
working for them is their passion, knowledge and expertise in matching the right
vacation to the right individual and making certain each of our clients are
getting the most value for the hard-earned money they are spending on travel."
Top Destinations: U.S. and International Based on Actual 2015 Bookings:
The following lists display the top domestic and international destinations for
2015 (agents were asked to name up to five top destinations they're already
booking for 2015):
Rank 2015 Top Domestic Destinations 2015% Rank '14
1 CRUISE – Alaska 33.56% 4
2 Orlando, FL 33.22% 2
3 Maui, HI 32.55% 3
4 New York City, NY 32.13% 5
5 Las Vegas, NV 29.61% 1
6 Honolulu, HI 20.97% 6
7 San Francisco, CA 16.36% 7
8 Chicago, IL 15.44% 11
9 Los Angeles, CA 15.18% 10
10 Washington, D.C. 12.67% 12 (tie)
Rank 2015 Top International Destinations 2015% Rank '14
1 CRUISE – Caribbean 37.5% 1
2 Cancun, Mexico 31.8% 2
3 London, England 27.6% 6
4 CRUISE – Europe (River) 25.1% 5
5 Rome, Italy 21.3% 4
6 CRUISE – Europe (Mediterranean) 20.6% 3
7 Paris, France 19.0% 8
8 Punta Cana, Dominican Republic 15.7% 7
9 Montego Bay, Jamaica 13.5% 10
10 Playa del Carmen/Riviera Maya, Mexico 11.0% 9 |
