Recent studies have shown what folks in the travel industry have been noticing for the past several months—the economic downturn of the past year is reshaping the tourism landscape. This has certainly had an impact in New Hampshire, where tourism is the second largest industry after manufacturing. However, travel revenues are down less than 2% according to Alice DeSouza, director of the New Hampshire Office of Travel and Tourism, and, says Dr. Peter Yesawich, Chairman of Ypartnership, “American travelers are trading down, but not out.”
With smaller vacation budgets, many travelers are downsizing their vacations by staying closer to home and going on shorter trips, such as long weekends. “Staycations” and day trips have become increasingly more popular. A recent aol.com survey found that 49% of Americans are considering a vacation planned around local tourist attractions, such as museums, aquariums or amusement parks, to save on travel costs. According to TripAdvisor.com, 52% of travelers said it takes them less than one day to unwind, making weekend getaways a nice option for a quick rejuvenation.
View of The Balsams from Table Rock
In keeping with a national trend toward more hiking and outdoor activity, those traveling to Northern New Hampshire, for example, might combine a stay at The Balsams Resort with an afternoon of mountain biking or a short hike to spectacular Table Rock. “An emerging trend is travelers getting greener. They plan to be more environmentally-conscious, and will be more active outdoors this year, taking advantage of some of the outstanding resources in the U.S., such as our beautiful national parks,” said Michele Perry, vice president of global communications for TripAdvisor. Many in the industry are also noticing more reservations are last minute this year.
Weekend travelers, in fact, tend to plan their vacations at the last minute. Many hotels and resorts are responding to this trend by offering last-minute deals online. Although aol.com found that 67% of Americans prefer to plan their longer trips weeks to months in advance rather than cash in on last-minute deal savings, according to a study by the Travel Industry Association (TIA), most weekend travelers make last-minute plans and select their destination within two weeks of their trip. Many travel experts recommend checking for last-minute deals through the destinations’ websites.
Internet comparison-shopping is on the rise as travelers seek more value for their vacation dollars. Consumers are also favoring all-inclusive vacation packages as a way to budget trips. According to TIA, 76% “expect to book a packaged vacation to save money”, 58% “plan to comparison shop for prices and rates specifically on the Internet.” and 67% expect to “spend less on food, beverages and entertainment” when traveling. Jayne O’Connor, president of the White Mountains Attractions Association says some destinations in New Hampshire are starting to include picnic lunches in their packages as a way to add value for the consumer. Also, according to aol.com, most Americans are willing to be flexible with their vacation travel dates to get the best possible price available.
But a good deal is not the main social trend in travel today. Travelers want unique experiences that they can describe to their friends back home, says Daniel Levine, executive director of the New York-based Avant-Guide Institute, a guidebook publisher and consultant on cultural trends. “It’s about brag-ability. It’s about telling people something you’ve done that they haven’t done.” Levine’s advice to the travel industry? “Think about what experience you can give people that they can’t get anyplace else. The bottom line is about surprising and delighting your customer.”
Carrie Reed
The Balsams Blogging Team
Image credit: aikaplanmd on flickr
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