Vacation travel is officially up over the same time last year, according to a survey, which provided several surprises about the travel forecast for the remainder of the year -
While the top overall domestic and international destinations -- Las Vegas and Caribbean cruising -- remain the same, the big news is that the number of experts reporting an increase in overall bookings for the year is up by nearly 4% to 59.5%.
Also, despite the extremely strong euro, Rome and Mediterranean cruising continued to climb the annual fall list with Rome coming in at #3 while Mediterranean cruising jumps seven spots. The survey, conducted July 24 - August 17, 2007, includes information from 390 Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associate agents, owners and managers.
"Europe -- and more specifically, Italy -- continues its return among the hottest travel destinations for our customers, in part because our Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associates are finding innovative ways to make it more affordable despite the current value of the dollar," said Roger E. Block, CTC, executive vice president of the Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associate Division. "Their expert advice may also be having an impact on the length of vacation our customers are taking.
Contrary to recent reports about how few vacation days the average American is using in a given year, over 85% of the survey respondents said the average trip they're booking for the remainder of the year is in the 6-10 day range."
Noteworthy Trends:
Passports -- The upward trend continues in the percentage of travel experts who indicate a majority of their customers have a valid passport. This fall that percentage is 46.3%, up from 44% in January and 31.7% in August of 2006. Also, an astounding 77.9% indicated that a majority of their cruise customers have a valid passport. That bodes well for the next passport deadline which could affect cruise passengers to Mexico, Caribbean, etc. as early as January 2008.
Biggest Winner/Loser -- Mediterranean cruising was the "big winner" in the rankings, jumping from 12th to 5th place on the list of top ten international destinations. The biggest drop was registered by Ft. Myers, FL. Last year it ranked 8th in the fall survey, this year it dropped eight spots to 16th place.
The following lists display the top ten domestic and international destinations for the fall, along with the overall outlook for the rest of the year (based on 390 completed surveys). Carlson Wagonlit Travel experts were asked to name their five top destinations in each category:
Top 3 FALL Cruise Destinations* % of Agents1. Caribbean -- Western 38.6
2. Caribbean -- Eastern 20.8
3. Caribbean -- Southern 9.0
* Carlson Wagonlit Travel experts were asked to name the one most popular cruise itinerary they were booking this fall.
What is the average length of the vacations you've been booking for the remainder of 2007?
2007 Response / FALL % of agents6-7 days / 71.0
8-10 days / 14.4
4-5 days / 12.8
10-14 days / 1.0
Less than 4 days / 0.5
Longer than 14 days / 0.3
With new U.S. passport regulations that require those traveling to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean to carry passports, which of the following statements describes your experience?
A majority of my customers carry valid passports - Fall 2007 46.3%
- Jan. 2007 44.0%
- Fall 200631.7%
Please indicate how many of your CRUISE customers have a valid passport:
TOTAL: Majority of cruise customers with a valid passport 77.9%
Can be broken down further:
1. A majority of my cruise customers carry valid passports 36.8%
2. Nearly all of my cruise customers carry valid passports 32.6%
3. A minority of my cruise customers carry valid passports 20.0%
4. All of my cruise customers carry valid passports 8.5%
5. Very few of my cruise customers carry valid passports 2.1%
Comparing your overall 2007 travel bookings so far to your 2006 bookings at this time last year, which is true?
2007 ResponseThey're higher
- % of agents 59.54
- 2006 % 55.70
They're about even
- % of agents 26.55
- 2006 % 22.75
