National News

TIA: Life’s a beach!

Americans who include beaches or theme and amusement parks on their vacations are a lucrative market, notes the Travel Industry Association (TIA). These travelers tend to take longer vacations and spend more money per trip than overall travelers, according to data from TIA's TravelScope survey. They are also more likely than average to bring their kids along, fly to their destination and rent a car once they arrive. More than 105 million person-trips were made by U.S. households to the beach last year, and Americans made 79 million domestic person-trips to theme and amusement parks in 2004. A person-trip is one person traveling 50 or more miles, one-way, away from home.
Source: Travel Advance

AAA travel agents name top vacation spots

AAA travel agency bookings are up more than 5 percent for the first four months of this year, including a more than 20 percent increase in international airline ticket sales, suggesting that higher fuel costs, hotel rates or a weak dollar are not keeping Americans home this summer. AAA's annual summer travel survey of its travel agents showed 84 percent of agents responding reported overall summer bookings either up or the same as last year, with an average increase of 4 percent. On international travel, 78 percent reported that bookings were either up or the same as in 2004. Among the top international destinations this summer were London, Cancun and Rome. Favorite domestic vacation spots this year are Orlando, Seattle and Las Vegas.
Source: Travel Advance

State tourism spending up 10.6 percent

States plan to spend $602.7 million for travel and tourism development and promotion in fiscal year 2004-05, according to the Travel Industry Association's survey of U.S. state and territory office budgets. The figure increased 10.6 percent compared to last year's actual budgets. States with the highest budgets for tourism promotion include Hawaii ($69 million), Illinois ($47.8 million), Pennsylvania ($33.0 million), Texas ($30.6 million) and Florida (28.6 million). The survey includes responses from 47 states. Delaware, Indiana, New York, the five U.S. territories and Washington, D.C., did not submit data.
Source: Travel Advance

Chicago may require strike notification

Chicago is considering legislation that would require hotels to forewarn customers, including groups, of hotel strikes and lockouts in Chicago hotels, as well as notify all guests who may have booked before a work stoppage. The proposed Right to Know ordinance would require the notification by any hotel that has been subject to lawful picketing for more than 15 days by a nationally recognized union. The hotel would also be required to notify all third-party Internet reservation sites, reservation networks, travel agents, conference planners and trade shows with which it conducts business.
Source: Travel Advance