Featured Research
Although Hawaii's tourism industry is showing signs of a gradual recovery, the surge of specials and packages available to savings-conscious golfers certainly doesn't appear to be diminishing. The trick, however, seems to be finding the right fit.
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For the travel industry, it seems that the worst is over. As forecasts for the year ahead predict a modest increase in demand, how has the prevailing economic environment changed consumers' habits? Ypartnership and the Harrison Group offer some clues with their Portrait of the American Traveler.
While 2009 was a year to forget for many travel sellers, it was a year to remember for the Power List. It was the year that an online travel agency, Expedia, displaced American Express as the industry's largest seller of travel. As a result, for the first time since the inception of the Power List (and its predecessor list, Top 50) in 1992, Amex does not occupy the top perch as the industry's largest seller of travel.
Those searching for positive news about Hawaii's suffering visitor industry might finally have reason for at least a little excitement.
For better or worse, Hawaii is still committed to wooing couples despite dip in weddings. To help out, romance-themed packages and deals make Hawaii nuptials, honeymoons more affordable than ever.
Although tourism to Hawaii took a hit during the U.S. economic nosedive, the family travel market to the islands has remained more or less steady, a statistic that surprises even some tourism officials.
Thanks to deals, and with a little research, agents can find affordable luxury at Hawaii hotels.
The Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau has always considered travel agents key partners in marketing and promoting the Islands across North America. But in an era of limited resources and competing communication channels, how to make the most out of less?
Travel Weekly’s Preview 2010, a special issue offering a variety of views about what lies ahead for the industry in 2010, including one-on-one interviews with key travel industry executives and in-depth, sector-by-sector looks at upcoming challenges and innovations.
Hawaii's leading hotel and resort players, as well as the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, are shoring up relations with, and programs and perks for, travel agent partners in a way to combat what analysts say was the islands' weakest summer season on record.
As the U.S. economy takes the first halting steps toward a recovery, Travel Weekly presents industry research designed to help our readers measure, compare and build for the future.
How is the recession affecting leisure travel? The 2009 National Leisure Travel Monitor offers insights gleaned from its annual in-depth study of the travel activities, research preferences and travel-buying habits of American consumers.
Despite recessionary pressures, a record 61 travel sellers qualified for Travel Weekly's 2009 Power List with sales of $100 million or more.
Travel sellers agree. Couples that choose a Hawaii wedding start out looking for ways to save money. The surprising thing is that, once the wedding arrangements are made and the costs carefully calculated, couples that started out cutting services end up splurging on a fairy-tale Hawaii honeymoon.
Hawaii hoteliers, wholesalers reach out to agency market with incentives, value-added offers and aggressive moves to offset this year's higher airfares.
As the travel industry moves into the final months of a difficult year and prepares for better days, Travel Weekly hopes this survey will provide some of the answers and some of the insights that will make a difference for all of us.
In a tough economy, travel agents may need a little extra sales savvy to persuade even avid golf travelers to book their travel to favorite destinations. Resources that help agents show their customers how to save even more money out on the Hawaii's best greens give everyone a winning edge.
Hawaii's rock-solid romance market has taken a few dings from rocketing air and hotel prices. According to statistics provided by the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, Hawaii travel numbers are among the best in the industry. This special Travel Weekly section profiles Hawaii's romance travellers and provides market expertise and strategy.
Consumer Trends 2008 reviews agency influence on consumers in terms of business and leisure travel, confidence in the travel industry, how popular trends enhance travel opportunities (like going green), dining option choices among cruisers and the influence of the web in the travel business. Statistics and trends are provided here to assist travel professionals plan and position to make the best in this market environment.
For the travel agency industry, necessity is the mother of reinvention. It is mandatory in the age of technology for agencies to continue to make themselves valuable to travelers and corporations. The 2008 Power List shows how that if sales are any indication the 2008 Power List sellers featured are doing these things very nicely.
TRAVEL WEEKLY'S FIRST HALF-CENTURY Lounge wars, fare wars, mergers,
bankruptcies, hostile takeovers, hurricanes, building booms, sonic booms. It's
all here.
Learn the Lei of the Land. To keep peak travel demand strong in 2008, Hawaii's Tourism Authority authorized spending $3,000,000 for marketing campaigns in support of summer travel. Hotels and tour operators furthered the savings by adding another 1.5 million dollars in added discounts and promotions to offset the airfare hikes.
Family travelers with children comprised 21% of Hawaii's visitors. With 64 million square miles of ocean, knowing where to look to book activities for all members of a family may include scuba diving, playing on Hawaii's many beaches, attending Polynesian shows, luau's and surfing. Selling to different age groups is a breeze when you know how to market to visitors to Hawaii in each life stage.
The Hawaii advantage can be your advantage too as you market trips to your luxury travelers. Tips for selling luxury generation by generation are included in this Travel Weekly report as well as how villas refresh the luxury niche with 5-star options for alternative luxury accomodations.
Hawaii Loves Travel Agents! Local connections make the difference for some travel agents and is the reason their clients call them instead of easily booking their own air and hotel reservations online.
Travel Weekly's 2007 Power List keeps getting bigger. Despite consolidation, or perhaps because of it, the number of agencies topping the $100 million mark in annual sales has climbed to 53, and they're riding on trends that show no sign of stopping.
Travel Weekly's 2007 U.S. Travel Industry Survey reviews distribution with the travel industry: who sells what, where, why and how. Featured among many articles in this year's issue is GDS data indicating that agencies using a secondary GDS is slightly on the rise. Also explored is the impact of various booking methods, types of sales and commission arrangements on agency profits.
Learn the details and industry history of Hawaii's Waikiki renovations as it rebuilds and redefines this prime travel destination area. Featured renovations and long term vision expectations are reviewed as Waikiki positioned for 2007 and beyond.
Around the world tourism's big numbers add up. Featured articles include: "Today's agencies, through a looking glass", "One-woman agency on path to $2 million year", "How tourism's big numbers add up" and "Will higher prices hurt travel sales?". Overall 2006 was full speed ahead despite the fuel costs.
It wasn't long ago that the first online agencies found their way to the Travel Weekly's Power List. Expedia and Travelocity joined the ranks of top travel sellers in 1999. 2005's Top 43 are viewed as well as the Top 10 within different industry segments.
Travel Weekly features Mediamark Research Inc.'s Reader Preference Study among Travel Counselors. Conducted annually since 1994, this study presents the results some of the most reliable research data gathering in the industry.
Travel Weekly's 2004 U.S. Travel Industry Survey covers ARC agencies, Agent hosting (who to trust), Call Centers, Corporate agents, ASTA research. The American Traveler Survey details consumer results by leisure travel and business travel segments.
Consolidation and technology have changed the face of travel, but the nation's top 2003 travel sellers remained a diverse group. This was a year of change, explosive growth, consolidations and developing new business models!
Travel Weekly's ranking of the Top 50 agencies by 2002 gross sales.
Travel Weekly's ranking of the Top 50 agencies by 2001 gross sales.
The third annual consumer survey that Travel Weekly co-sponsored. Gauges agency influence on consumers in terms of agency influence, leisure travel, Internet bookings and usage, booking trends and supplier sales.
Travel Weekly's ranking of the Top 50 agencies by 2000 gross sales.
Analyzes the agency marketplace in terms of business and leisure travel, supplier relationships, technology, and agency organization, i.e. fees, as well as agency partnerships and staffing issues.
The first consumer survey that Travel Weekly co-sponsored. Gauges agency influence on consumers in terms of leisure travel, Internet bookings and usage, booking trends and supplier sales.
1998 Travel Weekly U.S. Travel Agency Survey