National News

International travel to U.S. rebounds

Tourists from abroad are flocking to the U.S. – and the influx is helping to push up prices in some popular destinations. According to yearly statistics released by the Commerce Department, about 46.1 million international visitors came to the U.S. last year, up 12 percent from 2003. Those visitors spent $93.7 billion, an increase of 17 percent from $80 billion the year before. It marked the 15th straight month of growth in international arrivals and the first double-digit climb since 1992 for the tourism industry. The most popular markets among foreign visitors include New York, Florida and California.
Source: Travel Advance

Big business in water parks

More hotels are spending up to $75 million each to build huge enclosed water parks, hoping to lure families – sometimes from just a few miles away. The parks can be six stories tall and cover up to three acres, so visitors can frolic in balmy temperatures, ride twisting slides and indoor roller coasters and sip drinks at tropical bars without ever leaving the hotel. A decade ago, there were only six such indoor hotel parks – primarily in the Wisconsin Dells area. Today, some 80 hotels offer indoor water parks and 98 more are either planned or under construction.
Source: New York Times

Travel at highest level since 1999

The percentage of adult Americans who have taken a minimum of one overnight trip of at least 75 miles from home has risen to the highest level since 1999, according to the 2005 National Leisure Travel Monitor. The closely watched barometer was released last month by Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell, an Orlando hospitality industry consulting, marketing and research firm, along with Yankelovich Partners. According to the national survey, 58 percent of adults took such a trip during the past 12 months, up from 49 percent last year. Florida remained the leading state of choice for travelers last year, at 40 percent, up 1 percentage point from the previous year.
Source: Travel Advance

Online searches not just about price

Consumers are using search engines in more sophisticated ways to find travel information online, according to a study by Yahoo. The survey found that 73 percent of consumers used a search engine before making a travel purchase and, on average, they searched six times for specific travel information, using different key words. The fastest categories of growth in Yahoo's Travel section involved downloading information about things to do once at the destination, maps and driving instructions.
Source: Travel Advance