Airlines raise fares aimed at business travelers

Air fare is expected to increase.  The deregulation of airlines in the 1980's led to lower fares but at the expense of a sustainable business model.  

Gone are the $99 fares, except of course at the last moment as airlines attempt to fill every seat on the sardine cans called planes.

USA Today reports "Airlines raise fares aimed at business travelers".

Even the en vogue Conde Nast Traveler reports "The total cost of air travel will rise, even if air fares don’t."

Stay tuned.

RECORD YEAR FOR TRAVEL TO THE UNITED STATES

TI News: An information service from the Office of Travel & Tourism Industries (OTTI) February 22, 2013 RECORD YEAR FOR TRAVEL TO THE UNITED STATES Travel and Tourism Industry Buoys Record U.S. Export Figures for 2012 WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration today released the December 2012 data on international travel and tourism to the United States, which shows that exports in this sector hit a record $168.1 billion in 2012. Travel and tourism exports represent the largest service-export industry within the United States. In 2012, travel and tourism accounted for 8 percent of all U.S. exports and 27 percent of all service-exports, which themselves hit a record in 2012, reaching $632.3 billion. International travel and tourism also helped contribute to the record surplus the U.S. holds in services exports, which hit $195.3 billion in 2012, and the overall record U.S. export figure of $2.2 trillion. “International visitors to the United States are an increasing part of our export success story, which not only continues to reach record levels, but support millions of American jobs,” said Under Secretary for International Trade Francisco Sánchez. “The Obama Administration is committed to support these positive trends by taking concrete steps to attract and welcome international visitors to the United States, which is boosting local economies from San Diego to San Juan.” For 2012: Purchases of travel and tourism-related goods and services by international visitors traveling in the United States totaled $128.2 billion in 2012, an increase of more than 10 percent when compared to the previous year. These goods and services include food, lodging, recreation, gifts, entertainment, local transportation in the United States, and other items incidental to foreign travel. Fares received by U.S. carriers and U.S. vessel operators from international visitors markedly rose in 2012. When compared to 2011, U.S. passenger fare exports increased appreciably (9 percent) to $39.9 billion for the year. The importance and impact of the travel and tourism industry will continue to grow as Brazil, China, and India see record amounts of newly formed middle class citizens vacationing around the globe. These countries represent more than 40 percent of the world’s population and, by 2016, the number of travelers from Brazil, China, and India is expected to increase by 274 percent, 135 percent, and 50 percent respectively. For more information, click here.

Meteor Tourism

Just about every news event creates a demand for some kind of tourism.  And the recent astronomical event in Russia is due to create some influx of tourists hoping to catch a glimpse of the impact or even a fragment of  "space rock".

A quick Google Scholar search on "meteor crater tourism" found this interesting paper.  Some neat maps too!

I mean, we will typically hang out in the darkened backyard to watch for shooting stars!  Not that I want one to zoom over the house and blow out all the windows, but if one was nearby,  I might just need to check it out (and take my camera).

got 38 seconds for NEMO

First of all, what's with NEMO?  The Weather Channel now sees fit to name storms?  I realize the Winter Storm of February 8-9, 2013 is not sexy, but how about Fred or Wilma?  The Flintstones would make for a good set of names.

So if you were trying to get out of the Northeast (or to NE) this weekend, this time lapse video shows why:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfivDwn2oUw

International tourism rebounding from global economic crisis

According to the United Nations News Centre: 

International tourism rebounding from global economic crisis.

 "According to the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), international tourist arrivals surpassed 1 billion for the first time in history in 2012, up from 996 million in 2011, with demand holding well throughout the year and concluding with a stronger-than-expected fourth quarter." 


 See the news report at this link.

Let us hope the travel is peaceful.

How good is your Tourism Website?

Ever get frustrated on a website?  Can't find what you are looking for?  Pop-ups keep popping up for unwanted material or information.  Don't you hate it?

We have all experienced bad website.

I found this cool little Tutorial called "Initial Assessment of My Website" found in the Tourism e-kit produced by the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse.  Available at this link, the site has a lot of good information relevant to the topic of tourism marketing.

Check it out.