The following article is from an industry organization called ASTA (American Society for Travel Agents).
I thought it would be good to post, with the hopes of providing some guidlines for booking holiday travel.
Enjoy!
Travel
Leaders Survey Finds Holiday Bookings On Par or Higher Than Last Year
By Mimi
Kmet
September 10, 2012 2:09 PM
September 10, 2012 2:09 PM
Travel
Leaders Group has released a survey on trends for the upcoming holiday season
that reveals that holiday travel bookings are on par with, or higher than, last
year. Moreover, the survey, which polled Travel Leaders Group travel agents,
indicated that the timeline for booking holiday trips — particularly those
requiring travelers to fly to their destinations — is tight. Agents’ advice is
to book holiday travel six months or more before departure, which means those
still on the sidelines for Thanksgiving or end-of-year holidays need to act
fast. Agents also are advising clients planning to travel over Spring Break
2013 to begin planning shortly.
This
data is based on responses from 653 U.S.-based travel agency owners, managers
and frontline travel agents who specialize in leisure travel. The results are
part of the larger 2012 Fall Travel Trends Survey conducted by
Travel Leaders Group from July 30 through Aug. 23, in which 871 travel agents
participated from the flagship Travel Leaders brand, along with Travel Leaders
Group’s Luxury Travel Network, Nexion, Results! Travel, Tzell Travel Group and
Vacation.com units.
“The
holiday travel advice of our travel agents throughout the U.S. undoubtedly
factors in peak travel costs and restricted airline availability,” Travel
Leaders Group CEO Barry Liben said in a statement. “While we have been known to
‘pull a rabbit out of the hat’ for many last-minute requests, it isn’t in our
clients’ best interest to take those chances, and it certainly isn’t
cost-effective for them, either. If travelers want maximum flexibility with
travel dates, times and prices, action is required.”
According
to the survey, 72.3 percent of agents reported that Thanksgiving travel booking
is on par or better than last year. When asked, “Based on your knowledge and
expertise, when would you advise clients to book their Thanksgiving airline
tickets,” 58.6 percent of agents surveyed said clients should book their
Thanksgiving airfare six months or more prior to the holiday. Thanksgiving is
now less than three months away.
When
asked to compare end-of-the-year holiday travel bookings (those immediately
before Christmas and through the New Year’s holiday) to their 2011 bookings at
this time, 76.7 percent said 2012 bookings are equal to or higher than last
year. When asked, “Based on your knowledge and expertise, when would you advise
clients to book their airfare for travel taking place immediately prior to
Christmas through the New Year's holiday,” 74.9 percent said they would advise
booking six months or more prior to the desired departure date.
However,
some clients are taking a chance that their desired flight dates, times and
price-range will still be available closer to the holiday. When asked, “When
does a majority of your clients start inquiring about Thanksgiving airline
tickets,” 45.3 percent of Travel Leaders Group agents indicated three to four
months prior to the holiday, while 21.8 percent said two months prior to the
holiday. When asked, “When do a majority of your clients start inquiring about
air travel for dates immediately prior to Christmas through the New Year's
holiday,” 68 percent said clients inquire four months or more prior to the
holidays.
For
Spring Break 2013 travel, agents were asked, “Typically, how far in advance do
you advise your clients to make their Spring Break reservations?” Of the
respondents, 62.3 percent said they advise clients to book more than six months
in advance, while 33.9 percent said they advise clients to book four to six
months in advance. When asked, “What are the top three reasons why clients
should not wait until the last minute to book their Spring Break travel,” the
top responses were: reduced airline seating capacity (75.9 percent), lock in
airfare costs (61.7 percent), and lock in hotel/resort pricing (39.4 percent).
Finally, the top ways
agents said they are counseling clients on getting the most value for their
dollar — particularly for peak air travel dates — are: be flexible on dates to
travel (84.4 percent); be flexible on time of day (59.5 percent); and book air
as part of a tour or cruise package (58.4 percent).
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