CalTIA Ticker Labor Day Weekend Special Edition In This Issue LABOR DAY WEEKEND TRAVEL TRAVEL INDUSTRY SOURCES Greetings! Please enjoy this Special Labor Day Weekend edition of the Ticker newsletter brought to you as a service of the California Travel Industry Association (CalTIA), under the direction of CalTIA's Communications Committee, and Ted Molter, CalTIA 2010-11 Chairmain of the Board. LABOR DAY WEEKEND TRAVEL U.S. LABOR DAY TRAVEL PROJECTED TO RISE 10 PERCENT August 26 Wall Street Journal (New York, New York, USA)   An estimated 34.4 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles during the early-September holiday, according to AAA. The projection represents a 9.9 percent increase over 2009 Labor Day travel, but is below the record 45.1 million who traveled in 2008.   Note: Registration may be required. Read More... CAPE SHARKS, VEGAS DEALS PERK UP LABOR DAY Looks like Labor Day travel will get a real bounce this year, buoyed by more stable gas prices, some great airfares, and a few special circumstances -- including some media-savvy Great White sharks off Cape Cod. AAA projects that the number of Americans traveling this Labor Day weekend -- Sept. 2 through Sept. 6 -- will increase 9.9% from 2009, with approximately 34.4 million travelers taking a trip at least 50 miles away from home. "We are still not at 2008 levels, but it's really good to see an increase over last year," Heather Hunter, a spokesperson for AAA, tells Marketing Daily. Last year, 31.3 million Americans hit the road. And if the holiday had fallen a little earlier in the month this year, even more people would be traveling. Cape Cod, Mass., which was named one of the top 10 Labor Day destinations by TripAdvisor.com, is one region experiencing a bit of a boom. Cape tourism has gotten an unlikely boost from a few Great White sharks that are getting plenty of news coverage in the area, normally considered too chilly for the creatures. Tourists have flocked to beaches, cameras in hand, hoping for a "Jaws"-like glimpse. Whale watches and seal watches are already popular in the area, she says, "and if the water continues to stay warm and the seal population is robust, the sharks will continue to be around." In addition to the Cape, TripAdvisor's survey named Mackinaw City, Mich., Outer Banks, N.C.; San Francisco; San Diego, Calif.; Seattle; Destin, Fla.; Las Vegas, New York, and New Orleans as top destination for weekend escapes. And Travelocity says it is seeing air travel spurred by lower fares. "Labor Day weekend is the least expensive holiday weekend of the summer to fly," Travelocity senior editor Genevieve Shaw Brown tells Marketing Daily. "That, combined with hotel rates that are on par with the lows of 2009, makes it a great time to take an affordable vacation. For people who gave up on summer trips because they thought travel was too expensive, it's time to take another look." Read More... SURVEY: FALL TRAVEL GAINS POPULARITY; TRAVEL SPEND UP Fall is the new "in" time of the year to travel according to the majority of travelers recently surveyed by Ruf Strategic Solutions on behalf of Travel Guard North America, one of the nation's leading providers of travel insurance and assistance plans. According to the survey, fall travel is gaining in popularity with married couples in the 55+ demographic, who note dwindling crowds as the main reason for booking a vacation during the autumn season. With a little more leg-room on their fall trip, those surveyed report enjoying outdoor activities such as camping and hiking (45 percent) followed by traveling to enlighten their culinary senses (27 percent). Favored locations for fall getaways came in as European destinations (26 percent) and leaf-peeping destinations, in New York State and New England (20 percent). The poll also shows the majority of travelers that book fall getaways are gradually spending more with 20 percent of respondents reporting the magic number is approximately $5,000. Seventy-one percent leave room in that budget for trip coverage with travel insurance. Read More... TRAVEL INDUSTRY SOURCES E-Turbo News and Travel Wire News Publisher: Thomas Steinmetz , Editor-in-Chief: Nelson Alcantara,  Copyright © 2006 eTurbo News, Inc. All rights reserved. eTurboNews, Inc, PO Box 208, Haleiwa, Hawaii 96712-0208 USA PH: +1-808-521-2800 US/Canada toll-free : 1-888-884-8822  Global toll-free : ++800-520-02800 FAX: +1-310-362-8973  www.eturbonews.com www.travelwirenews.com TravelDailyNews International is a project of Travel Media Applications. TMA is the travel industry's leading technology company, assisting travel companies to take advantage of the Internet and new technologies. TMA owns and operates TravelDailyNews Greece & Cyprus & Travel For All, offers communication tools and services for the tourism market and represents major tourism exhibitions such as International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM). Travel Media Applications 47 & 49, Byzantiou Street 171 22 N.Smyrni, Athens, Greece Tel: +30 210 93 74 050, +30 210 93 74 052  Fax: +30 210 93 74 051  E-mail: tma@tma.gr U.S Travel Association U.S. Travel Association's  U.S.Travel News Brief 1100 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 450   Washington, D.C. 20005-3934   ustravel.org  To contribute news to the U.S. Travel News Brief, contact Colby Horton, Director of Media & Content, 972.402.7001. Ferri & Partners Marketing & Tourism Trends is provided free-of-charge to leaders in the industry by Ferri & Partners, a communications and public relations agency specializing in strategic communications and marketing.  newsletter@ferriandpartners.com. International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) member-newsletter The California Travel Industry Association (CalTIA), incorporated in 1981, is the official voice of the California travel industry. It is an independent, nonprofit association unifying California's many travel-related businesses to ensure the future health of tourism through our collective strength and corporate activities. CalTIA's mission is to serve as a catalyst and a voice for the various elements of our industry. It is dedicated to increasing our educational standards, articulating our political concerns, and promoting the economic well-being of California tourism. CalTIA is a partnership of action, in action! The Association serves as a vehicle to provide a united voice in support for our industry. Only through our willingness -- yours -- to become involved, can we effect the necessary changes and ensure the future health of our businesses, the California economy, and the California travel industry. The organization appreciates your continued support. For more information about upcoming CalTIA activities and events and opportunities for you and your California business to get involved visit our website at www.caltia.com or call (916) 932-2580.