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What You Ought to Know About Destination Leisure Travel...
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Nov. 9, 2015
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 Miami is having a record-breaking year. Its travel and tourism numbers have grown with a 5.4 percent increase in overnight visitors to the greater Miami area. From September 2014 to August 2015, the destination welcomed 15.1 million overnight visitors - up from 14.2 million the previous year and bringing in 7 percent more revenue to the city. Airport arrivals are also on the rise, up 5.5 percent and visitors are staying longer, up to six nights on average, because of the increase in the number of attractions with the city. The past 12 months show a 3 percent increase in rooms sold with a record 13.2 million room nights.
Source: Travel Pulse Read More...
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Panama City Beach officials report record tourism number
 More tourists than ever flocked to Bay County beaches in the past year, and officials chalk it up to an increasing number of events, tourism officials said Tuesday. "It's almost scary. The numbers keep going up," said David Demarest, spokesman for the Bay County Tourist Development Council (TDC). "It's a good thing."
Bed tax revenues, a 5 percent tax on short-term vacation rentals that serves as one barometer of the local tourism industry's health, once again reached record highs in September, totaling $1.3 million, or 26.6 percent more than the previous year.
Source: Panama News Herald Read More...
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Surrounded by a four-man camera crew, the Japanese honeymooners were ready to make memories.
In their wedding whites against the turquoise Caribbean waters, the couple leapt off the beach and kicked their heels. Then they whipped out matching sombreros and unfurled a giant Mexican flag. Their photo shoot was perfect, if you could ignore the smelly strip of brown algae fouling the white sands.
"It's disgusting," photographer Juan Manuel Delgado said. "I've worked on the beaches for 21 years, and this is something that has never happened before."
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Pretty much every nook and cranny of the comfy waiting room at St. Petersburg-Clearwater Airport was filled with Sun Country Airlines passengers eagerly awaiting the next charter flight to the fabled Beau Rivage Resort & Casino on Mississippi's Gulf Coast.
These mostly senior gaming enthusiasts were heeding the call of Lady Luck, who lures these fun-seekers to the Gulfport/Biloxi destination, where the Las Vegas-style atmosphere offers classy accommodations, flashy entertainment, noted restaurants and round-the-clock gambling. Best of all, these good things come in attractive packages at prices even retirees find affordable.
After years of being just a drive through for visitors heading to New Orleans and other points west or east, Mississippi's Gulf Coast is finally on the radar screen.
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Canadian golf industry fights its way out of the rough
Former PGA Tour player Ian Leggatt has no trouble pinpointing what's wrong with the sport he loves: It costs too much, takes too long and is difficult to play.
Operators and investors did their part in dampening golf's allure when they responded to a lengthy boom in the sport by oversaturating the market with new courses, many of which were more suited to Mr. Leggatt's skills than those of the typical weekend duffer.
"The courses that were built for the public player - the guy who's taking up the game and wants to get out on a Saturday morning or afternoon - were too difficult for them to play. Which made it too long for them to play.
Source: The Globe and Mail. Read More...
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The Future of Food Tourism Goes Beyond the Restaurant Experience
"Dining will be the last form of live entertainment."
This affirmation by Reserve's CEO Greg Hong last week at Skift Global Forum in Brooklyn represents the trend of experiential travelers engrossed with food and wanting to learn more about how their meals are prepared and where they come from. Visiting a winery and doing a tasting no longer whets travelers' appetites the way it once did. Now they want to meet with the wine grower and be personally shown around the vineyards, for example.
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Airbnb Inc.'s room-for-rent business model is hurting New York's hotel industry.
While individual hotel chains have been dismissive of the San Francisco-based startup, the organization that represents them is going on the offensive with its first-ever public disclosure of Airbnb's impact on the lodging industry in one of its biggest urban markets.
The tally: Airbnb accounted for $451.4 million in gross revenue in New York alone in the 12 months through Aug. 31, according a report commissioned by the Hotel Association of New York City. That number will jump to $805.3 million in 2018, the group said Friday.
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When we think of the lodging industry in the US, many of us think of chains - those big brands such as Marriott, Hilton, and Choice that drive distribution trends and website bookings.
NB This is a viewpoint by Lorraine Sileo, senior vice president of research for Phocuswright Inc. With household names such as Holiday Inn and Best Western that appeal to the US road traveler, chains also make a nice payday for online travel agencies (OTAs).
Source: tnooz. Read More...
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Travel App Usage Surprisingly Low
 Do you use travel apps on your smartphone to book or track any elements of your travel? If so, you're actually in the minority,according to a new survey by the Global Business Travel Association Foundation (GBTA) and Carlson Wagonlit Travel. They polled more than 500 U.S. and Canadian road warriors, and found that only four in 10 have used a smartphone to book a hotel in the past six months - and hotel apps are the most frequently downloaded onto those devices. You can't book if you don't have apps, and the study found that "less than half of the business travelers surveyed have downloaded airline, hotel, travel reservation or general travel apps" onto their phones.
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Airbnb Will Have a 100% Growth Rate In 2015, Says Report
 In 2015, Airbnb, the short-term rental platform, will double its nightly bookings to about 80 million, reports Reuters, citing "investors familiar with the company's performance." And bookings during to the papal visit show why, according to a Wall Street Journal story. The forecasted numbers couldn't be verified because the private startup doesn't publicly reveal its figures. If true, Airbnb would have a triple-digit growth rate for nightly bookings in its seventh year of existence that would far exceed the forecasts of investment analysts. Nightly bookings do not precisely equate to revenue gains.
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3 things to know about marketing to Generation Z
 Generation X became Generation Y. Millennials are growing up. And now marketers are shifting focus to "Gen Z" - the next major consumer group, comprised of teenagers who are younger than 19 today. This generation has grown up with full access to the Internet and technology. They're digital natives, and it's even tougher for brands to woo this group and win their loyalty, love and income.
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Airports go mobile to improve operations
At Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, there's an app for - well - just about everything.
To ease passengers on their way, and resolve problems that pop up more quickly, the world's fourth busiest airport (ranked by flights per day) has introduced over 40 mobile applications during the last two years. That means airport employees can find out that a parking garage is full, and then redirect passengers, simply by checking their mobile devices. And fliers can find the nearest gourmet caf� - and whether they have enough time to eat there - by downloading an app.
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US consumer confidence slips in October
Americans turned slightly more anxious about the job market this month.
The Conference Board's consumer confidence index fell to 97.6 in October, down from a nine-month high of 102.6 in September.
"Consumers still rate current conditions favorably, but they do not anticipate the economy strengthening much in the near-term," said Lynn Franco, director of economic indicators at the Conference Board. Fewer people surveyed for the business research group described jobs as "plentiful" compared to September, with that measure slipping to 22.2 percent from 24.8 percent.
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Why Optimism About the US Economy's Strength Has Dimmed
 Consumers, fueled by job growth, cheaper gas and higher home values, would drive the U.S. economy through a global slump. That was the widespread hope just a few months ago. Now, doubts are growing that the United States can withstand economic pressures flowing from overseas. Economies in China, Canada, Brazil and Europe are struggling. Canada, the largest U.S. trading partner, is in recession. Americans have been holding back on spending even though lower gas prices have put more cash in their pockets. Employers have slowed hiring and held down pay.
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Gas prices fall to lowest level all year
If you think this is the lowest you've seen gas prices this year, you're right.
Local gas prices fell one cent last week, according to AAA Northeast's weekly survey.
The average price of a gallon of gas is $2.06, eight cents less than a month ago. The lowest average price in Massachusetts in 2015 was also $2.06, back on February 2.
The current price is 13 cents less than the national average of $2.19.
A year ago at this time, the Massachusetts average price was 98 cents higher at $3.04.
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