The airlines have been slashing capacity for months. Rental car companies are hemorrhaging cash. Hotels have some of the lowest occupancy rates ever. Even Vegas and Disney World are hurting. But, the latest measurements show consumer traveler sentiment rising.
According to the report, travelers are happier about everything than they were back in October 2008. The biggest change has been in price. Of respondents, almost 98 percent noted that travel has become more affordable, hence an increase on travel plans.
A quick look at the internet shows every section of travel with bargain sales and plenty of advertising to let the American consumers know about them. Hotels rooms in Vegas can be found for less than $50 a night, Disney is discounting theme park vacations, New York City hotels have dropped rated to an average of less than $200 a night with plenty of bargains for half that amount and airlines have offered a steadily series of sales to keep planes full.
According to ypartnerships:
The Traveler Sentiment Index™ is measured in our quarterly travelhorizons™ survey, a nationally-representative survey we have co-authored with the U.S. Travel Association (formerly the Travel Industry Association) since early 2007. The survey is the only national survey that tracks the near-term travel intentions of Americans viewed through the lens of emerging economic, social and political developments. The most recent survey flight was conducted the week of February 7 (2009) with a national sample of 2,270 U.S. adults.
The Traveler Sentiment Index™ is a derivative of six variables: interest in travel, availability of time to travel, availability of money to travel, perceived affordability of travel, quality of travel services and safety. All six measures increased from the levels observed in October 2008 (the last survey flight). And four measures displayed double-digit increases: interest in travel (+10.3%), availability of time to travel (+12%), quality of travel services (+14.1%) and perceived affordability of travel (+97.2%).
The final three double digit increases — quality of travel, time to travel and interest in travel — are far more qualitative than pricing. However, the quality of travel on airlines has been scraping bottom for some time. Finally, airlines are noticing that small things like service and cleanliness make a difference. As for more time to travel and interest in travel, I have no idea of what might have spiked those changes.
Do you?
