The Economy & Travel

During this year's Techno Tourism Conference, Assistant Deputy Commissioner for Tourism, Kevin Langston commented that, "Twice as many travelers say they’re financially worse off than a year ago. 31% believe they’ll be worse off a year from now, versus 15% in Q1 2008. And 63% believe [the] US economy will worsen in 2009 – just 17% expect it to improve. [Travelers interviewed said] Causes [for this] consumer uncertainty – jobs, investments, vacation time…."

Mr. Langston when on to say, "[This] creates uncertainty for our industry – soft demand, weak revenue, dramatically different booking curves, tightened budgets – [which can] lead to missed opportunities."

[However] "people are still traveling – 56% say the number of leisure trips they will take this year will either not change or increase. And 64% say the duration of their leisure trips will either stay the same or increase They’re just being much more careful with their money and their time…."

"How do we as the tourism industry address these factors? We have to show customers the value of getting away, AND - show them value in our offered getaways!"

Good advice as we begin to enter into the early travel season. If you have ideas or promotions or need assistance in getting the word, let us know. We're talking about the Columbus experience and the added value of the destination.

*stats provided by Henry Harteveldt at Forrester Research