Slow recovery forecast for US travel industry in 2010

With the arrival of the New Year, there are some encouraging signs that the travel industry is poised for a gradual recovery, although not as quickly as many travel service suppliers would like. The culprit remains the languishing economy. While recent GDP numbers reflect a positive path and job losses have subsided, American consumers have adopted more conservative spending patterns and now maintain the highest savings rate observed in the past eight years.

Leisure Travel Outlook - Value Is King
According to the results of the most recent  travelhorizons(TM) survey, the quarterly consumer survey of 2,200 U.S. adults co-authored by Ypartnership and the U.S. Travel Association.

What’s hot? Drive vacations, mid-priced hotels, low cost carriers, all-inclusive resorts, packaged vacations, and cruises (regardless of duration). The results of the survey also suggest that both business and leisure travelers will sharpen their travel planning and purchasing skills further to ensure they don’t overpay, while their discovery and embrace of the next generation of online booking tools is certain to place additional pressure on suppliers’ margins.

Business Travel Outlook - On The Road Again, Slowly
What’s hot? Same-day business trips, coach-class air, upscale lodging at mid-scale prices, free breakfast, and free high speed Internet access.