Tour operators are
confident that 2007 will be a lucrative year, according to members
of the U.S. Tour Operators Association at their annual conference
in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Tour operators are looking forward to an
increase in international travelers, an expansion of airline routes
and a financially stable business environment.
Though they differed in their assessment
of its ultimate effect on business, tour operators expressed
optimism at the prospect of a record number of Americans holding
passports. According to USTOA Chairman Nikos Tsakanikas, 70 million
Americans now have passports. He said the number of American
passport holders is expected to increase to 80 million in 2007.
An ongoing expansion of international
airline routes is also expected to be a boon to business. Airlines
are shifting domestic routes to international routes, further
increasing availability of air lift to international destinations,
Tsakanikas said.
With the painful memories of major
bankruptcies of large tour operator roll-ups in recent years now
fading, Tsakanikas said that the tour operator segment is free from
problems of financial instability.
"Consolidation is
still happening," he said, "but today's consolidations are
different. They are being undertaken by companies with experience
in the travel industry, without the pressures of Wall
Street."
USTOA President Bob Whitley said the year
2007 is "shaping up to be the best since
2000."
To contact reporter David
Cogswell, send e-mail to [email protected].