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What You Ought to Know About Destination Leisure Travel...
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April 9, 2015
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Brazil's economic downturn impacting Central Florida businesses
 Brazil is a continent away, but the effect of the country's economy is already having a negative impact on the people and businesses in Central Florida.
Aside from the economic downturn and the devaluation of the Brazilian currency, political leaders also are facing a protest Sunday related to the country's largest corruption scandal.
Perfumeland is just one of the many businesses located along International Drive in Orlando that caters to Brazilian tourists. Last year, more than 1/4 of Brazilians visiting Central Florida shopped at the store, but an economic crisis in Brazil has already put a dent in that number by 20 percent, said Alejandro Pezzini, CEO of the AMP Group.
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Tourist season coming to end ... or is it?
 A brutal northern winter has extended Southwest Florida's banner tourist season, softening what is usually a jarring Eastertime transition with the departure of part-time residents and tourists.
Most years see a rapid thinning of out-of-state plates on the region's roads and highways, more room at restaurants and fewer people in the aisles at the grocery, as well as in the parking lots of condominiums or the neighborhood driveways, as people pack up for the trek back north.
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Impact of Las Vegas tourism rises to $50 billion in 2014 with more visitors than ever before
 Visitors to Las Vegas last year spent an estimated $723 each says a report that pins the value of tourism at $50 billion total.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority commissioned the economic impact report presented at the agency's Tuesday meeting by Applied Analysis.
The agency says 41 million travelers visited Las Vegas last year, its most on record. Spending per visitor is also up by $33 compared to 2013 with convention-goers spending more than leisure travelers.
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| How Do Beach Towns Cope Through The "Offseason"?
 In late March, I left my hometown of Charlottesville, VA, to begin a cross-country trip. I figured some good first stops would be the beaches of South Carolina, so I packed my tanning lotion and reserved some nights in different waterfront hotels, which were being offered at discounts. But it wasn't until I drove down and got my toes in the sand that I realized what those towns were missing: people.
This was because during my visit, the Carolina coast was hit with rough weather. In Myrtle Beach, temperatures dropped down into the 30s at night, not including the wind that howled in from the ocean. And my time in Hilton Head Island was marred by sporadic rain.
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The State Of The Golf Industry In 2015
 The 2015 Masters Golf Tournament is a week away and excitement for the 79th annual event has peaked with Tiger Woods announcing that he will participate and end his two-month leave from competition. While Tiger's health may be improving, what is the health of the game of golf itself as the 2014-15 PGA Tour tournament schedule kicks into high gear?
The golf industry's economic impact has been reported by various industry insiders as being nearly $70 billion per year. Its charitable impact is close to $4 billion per year through 143,000 events and 12 million participants. But is now the time to invest in golf? Is the sport having a problem connecting to millennials?
Source: Forbes. Read More...
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Hotel Occupancy To Hit Record High In 2015
 The U.S. lodging industry will continue to achieve very strong growth in rooms revenue per available room (RevPAR) during both 2015 and 2016 according to the recently released March 2015 edition of PKF Hospitality Research's Hotel Horizons. The report further predicts that the composition of the factors driving the RevPAR is starting to shift with record-setting occupancy yielding ground to growing average daily rates (ADR).
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Vacation rentals make hotels more like home
 Want a hotel that feels like home? So did Kristin Stallings when she recently looked for accommodations in Florida to celebrate her wedding anniversary.
A small, pricey room, where everything felt "smashed together," wasn't at the top of her list, says Stallings, a loan risk analyst from Houston.
"I remembered how much I dislike middle-of-the-night door slamming, loud hallway discussions and noisy neighbors," she adds. "More than once I've had to request a new room due to noise."
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Gas price may decrease for summer travel
 Experts say a decrease at the pump to around $2 could come just in time for summer vacations.
"There is a real hope that gas prices could drop significantly in time for the busy summer driving season," Mark Jenkins, AAA spokesman, said in a news release. "The overall outlook looks good for drivers, and with any luck we will avoid the types of problems that often lead to higher gas prices at this time of the year."
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Among America's millennials who travel, half have spouses and children
 There are many things said about millennials, the generation coming of age. But one thing that's rarely noted is that half of them are married with children.
This fact should matter to destination marketing organizations, travel websites and apps, and other trade companies. To craft effective digital marketing campaigns, it's important to get the message right. Rather than acting like kids, millennials are, as often as not, raising kids.
So much for the all-purpose stereotype of a carefree, single person who typically brings a selfie-stick with them while hiking Machu Picchu and couch surfing.
Source: Tnooz.com. Read More...
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Tourists Flocked to U.S. Last Year, but Strong Dollar Clouds 2015 Outlook
 The U.S. hosted a record number of international visitors last year, though a stronger dollar is making travel to the country more expensive and could cloud the outlook for the tourism industry this year.
The number of international visitors to the U.S. rose 7% to nearly 75 million in 2014, according to data from the Commerce Department. Travel spending from overseas visitors also rose for the entire year, though a month-by-month breakdown of trade data shows that increases slowed toward the end of the year, and spending fell slightly during January.
Source: The Wall Street Journal. Read More...
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U.S. airlines group expects busiest spring season in 7 years
 U.S. airlines are expected to carry more passengers this spring than they have in seven years, Washington-based trade group Airlines for America said on Wednesday.
The group estimates that about 134.8 million passengers will travel on U.S. airlines during March and April, up almost two percent compared to the same time last year.
U.S. carriers are increasing the number of seats available for booking by 3 percent to accommodate the demand, the group said in a news release.
Source: Reuters. Read More...
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U.S. consumer confidence, house prices offer hope for economy
 U.S. consumer confidence rebounded strongly in March amid optimism over the labor market while house prices increased in January, hopeful signs that a recent sharp slowdown in economic activity was probably a blip.
A combination of harsh winter weather, a now-settled labor dispute at the country's busy West Coast ports, softer global demand and a strong dollar dampened growth early in the first quarter.
The moderation in activity is a replay of early 2014, when an unseasonably cold winter caused a contraction in output, which was followed by a sharp rebound in growth.
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