Domestic travel by Americans will increase this Thanksgiving holiday compared to last year, according to results from two separate studies: AAA projects that 36 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more this Thanksgiving weekend, 2.4 percent more than last
Domestic travel by Americans will increase this Thanksgiving holiday compared to last year, according to results from two separate studies:
AAA projects that 36 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more this Thanksgiving weekend, 2.4 percent more than last year.
Over four million, or 13 percent of Thanksgiving travelers, expect to travel by air, up nearly one percent from last year.
The West and Southeast, with 1.2 million travelers each, will have the highest number of air travelers this Thanksgiving season, followed by the Northeast and Midwest (800,000 each); and the Great Lakes region (600,000).
Fifty-six percent of respondents said they plan to stay with friends or relatives, while 26 percent stated that they will stay in a hotel/motel.
A survey conducted by online discount travel company, Hotwire.com, and Harris Interactive, show that 37 percent of those who will be away from home this Thanksgiving weekend will travel 100 miles or more, (Source: PR Newswire. Other results show:
People living in the Western part of the U.S. are most likely to travel, with 50 percent of “Western” holiday travelers stating that they plan to travel 100 miles or more this Thanksgiving weekend.
Eighty-seven percent (87 percent) of those leaving home plan to celebrate the holiday with family or friends.
Hawai‘i
HTA: HVCB and the Five Other Marketing Contractors Unveil
2004 Marketing Plan
HVCB and the five other marketing contractors presented Hawai‘i’s 2004 Annual Tourism Marketing Plan (ATMP) at public meetings throughout the Islands this week.
Further details on the ATMP, including each of the presentations, are available on HTA’s Web site.
CONSUMER TRAVEL BEHAVIORS
Total Passenger Volume to Hawai‘i Up 3 Percent Over 2002 Levels
According to statistics published by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, total domestic and international (excluding Canada) passenger volume was up 3 percent over last year’s figures for the seven-day period ending Nov. 16.
Domestic passenger volume continued to perform above 2002 levels, up 6 percent over last year’s numbers, while nonstop passengers from Japan arriving in Hawai‘i increased to 100 percent of 2002 figures for the seven-day period.
CURRENT INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS
HVCB Highlights Hawai‘i
Culture and Travel in Taiwan
A marketing team led by HVCB is in Taiwan promoting travel to the Islands through culture, music, arts, and cuisine.
HVCB launched the program with an interactive exhibit at the Taipei International Travel Fair (ITF), one of Taiwan’s largest annual tourism events, attracting over 90,000 attendees.
The marketing team will then move on to initiate two “Aloha City” promotions – “Aloha Taipei” and “Aloha Hsinchu.”
National and International
CONSUMER TRAVEL BEHAVIORS
JNTO: Outbound Japanese Family Travel Market Strengthens in July
The latest statistics released by the Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO) indicate that the outbound family travel market strengthened in July, according to Travel Journal International.
Of all Japanese outbound travelers, children under age nine (+12.2 percentage points over June 2003) and travelers in their 30s and 40s (+15.8 percentage points) showed the largest improvement compared to June figures.
Summer holidays from school, pre-summer peak travel specials offered by travel agencies, and the containment of SARS, are the main reasons for the increase in family travel demand, according to JNTO.
U.S. State Department Receives Record Number of Passport Requests in 2003
After two straight years of declining passport requests, the U.S. State Department issued a record 7,300,667 passports in FY 2003, according to Travel Agent Magazine.
The previous record of 7,292,182 issued passports was set in 2000. An estimated 21 percent of all Americans (approximately 59 million) now hold a valid U.S. passport, the highest percentage ever registered. These record numbers are thought to be a positive indicator of increased U.S. outbound and long haul travel for 2004.
CURRENT INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS
U.S. National Parks Generate $10.6 Billion Per Year
A study by the National Parks Conservation Association shows that visitors to U.S. National Parks spend approximately $10.6 billion per year, supporting 212,000 jobs, according to CNN Travel. The study measured hotel and lodging reservations, campground fees, restaurants, gas, groceries, souvenirs and other expenses, using annual visitation figures and visitor surveys.
California led the nation in National Park revenues, registering $1.1 billion in annual visitor spending.
