Statistics in the U.S. Travel Association’s “Domestic Travel Market Report” for 2013 bode well for National Travel & Tourism Week, which we are celebrating and embracing this week at Sundance Vacations.
National Travel & Tourism Week, a tradition first celebrated in 1984 and established by a Congressional Joint resolution passed in 1983, is being held this week from May 3-11, 2014.
In line with the annual salute to travel and tourism in America, the “Domestic Travel Market Report” details domestic travel characteristics and demographics of two billion domestic trips taken in 2012. An additional 32 million domestic trips were taken in 2012 – an increase of 1.6 percent over 2011. Leisure travel increased 2.0 percent to 1.6 billion trips.
After five years of decline, business travel rose for the third consecutive year by 0.5 percent to 449 million trips, according to the report.
Other key findings in the annual “Domestic Travel Market Report” are as follows:
* Trip distance increased in 2012 with a greater proportion of out-of-state trips than in-state trips.
* Leisure trips included paid accommodations (hotels, motels and B&B) more frequently in 2012 than 2011.
* Total average trip spending in 2012 was similar to 2011; 15 percent of total average trip spending was greater than $!,000.
* Up slightly from 2011, 14 percent of trips used air travel as the primary mode of transportation in 2012.
* Less than one-quarter of trips included children with adults in 2012, down from 2011.
The theme of this year’s National Travel and Tourism Week is the “Travel Effect,” a term coined by the U.S. Travel Association that roughly translates to “travel is good for you.”
Travel and Tourism Week is designed, in part, to remind legislators, mayors, consumers and others in the business community that the enterprise of travel accounts for three percent of our gross domestic product, 12 percent of our jobs and close to $130 billion in state, local and federal tax revenue. In essence, travel is good for the economy.
The “Travel Effect” takes it a step further: Travel is good for what ails you. Properly executed, business travel to meetings, conferences and training events are also good for a company. Vacations also are good for employees as they usually come back refreshed and re-energized.
Vacations also have proven to be good for families that can spend quality, stress-free time together. From a romantic standpoint, travel is even beneficial for lovers. For seniors, for singles, you name it, research shows travel benefits all.
Of course, travel professionals like those at Sundance Vacations, don’t need to be reminded of the benefits of travel, but that’s not the purpose or intent of Tourism Week. The purpose is to give travel professionals the opportunity to remind everyone else.
The U.S. travel community has collectively marked Tourism Week in a number of different ways, from staging local rallies and conducting media outreach to securing proclamations and resolutions from local legislative bodies. Each year, localized events are presented in cities, states and travel businesses nationwide to champion the power of travel.
The “Travel Effect” theme aligns with the current industry-wide campaign to prove the benefits of travel. in 2014, “Travel Effect” will broaden its focus to examine America’s “Day-Off Deficit” and explore what it could mean to individuals, businesses and the economy if U.S. workers were motivated to use more of the time off they’ve earned and deserve.
For more information, check out www.ustravel.org/marketing/national-travel-and-tourism-week
I the meantime, stay tuned for all of the fun and festivities that Sundance Vacations has in store this week! We have some surprises coming!
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