2009 Travel Trends: Americans Traveling & Taking Advantage of Vacation Deals

A skier getting some powder turns on extreme terrain at the Breckenridge Ski Resort. Photo Credit: Vail Resorts

American travelers are resilient and having weathered bankrupt airlines, gas prices nearing $5 a gallon, fuel supplements, new fees for checked bags, additional fees for airline amenities, reduced airline capacity and other news-making issues in 2008, these vacation warriors are preparing their 2009 vacations. 2009 predictions might be lower than a fairly stable 2008 vacation travel market, but travel suppliers are pulling out the red carpet in terms of deals and incentives to keep Americans traveling.

The Travel Industry Association (TIA), now known as the U.S. Travel Association, recently released its annual travel forecast indicating that an uncertain economic climate is leading American and global travelers to change their behaviors.

“Consumers are responding as we might expect during an economic slowdown,” Suzanne Cook, senior vice president of research for TIA, explains. “But travel should not simply be viewed as an economic indicator; it should be seen as a part of the solution to our economic woes. There’s no doubt that if we can spur travel, we can help to turn the economy around.”

Despite current economic conditions and lagging consumer confidence, the forecast shows that leisure travel volume remains stable for 2008 (-0.2%) and is expected to decline modestly in 2009 (-1.3%). According to the latest travelhorizons^TM survey co-authored by TIA and Ypartnership, seven out of 10 (71%) respondents intend to take an overnight trip of 50 miles or more from home during the next six months. Fully half (48%) of all respondents stated they were not planning any changes to their future travel plans as result of the recent turmoil in the financial markets.

One family out of Omaha, Nebraska just planned a ski vacation to Breckenridge, Colorado. Ski resorts have been offering incentives including a fourth night free or for a dollar to entice visitors.

This year you’ll find about twice as many price breaks and promotions on the ski slopes at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Heavenly for March and April with discounts of 50 percent or more on lodging and even at top-rated restaurants, as reported by Vail Resorts.

According to Scott Donovan, Vail Resorts vacation planning manager, spring is one of the best times to visit, especially this year. “Spring snow is historically deep and the savings will be even deeper this year with a flurry of new offers and 50 percent off deals,” he says. “Plus, there are the traditional 2-for-1 restaurant offerings and end-of-season ski gear sales.”

Historic Main Street Breckenridge in the Winter with the slopes of the Breckenridge Ski Resort in the background. Photo Credit: Vail Resorts

One such ski vacation deal at Breckenridge in 2009 is its “Spring Back to $85 room rates at Breckenridge”. Breckenridge is celebrating spring in style with $85 room rates (per night) from March 29 through its closing day of April 19. www.breckenridge.com or 800.404.3535

According to Peter Yesawich, chairman of Ypartnership, “The results corroborate what we have been preaching now for several months: American travelers are trading down, but not out.”

Consumers are likely to plan and purchase vacations differently with the pursuit of a “good value” as the primary reason why. Three quarters (76%) “expect to book a packaged vacation to save money” and six out of 10 (58%) “plan to comparison shop for prices and rates specifically on the Internet.” Seven out of 10 (67%) “plan to stay fewer nights” and a comparable percentage expects to “spend less on food, beverages and entertainment” when traveling.

Have your vacation travel plans changed for 2009 due to the economy?