MIAMI -- From Web sites to loyalty programs and consumer research,
newsmakers were, well, making news at ASTA's World Travel Congress
here Wednesday.
ASTA, which said it receives 200-300 consumer
trip-assistance requests daily, launched a consumer Web site at www.travelsense.org.
The site, though, will lead consumers to travel agents.
The content includes information on what travel agents sell;
planning family reunions; holiday travel; buying travel online;
"ASTA/Fodor's Hot Spots;" a survey on top-selling vacation
destinations; and services such as "Request a Trip."
The site is an offshoot of TravelSense, an electronic newsletter
that ASTA started in July.
Some 2 million consumers receive the newsletter, ASTA said.
Cendant introduced a loyalty program that will
take in its nine hotel brands. When it's fully launched in
December, Cendant said, TripRewards will have 2 million members and
will include the participation of 6,000 properties.
A points-based program, TripRewards will enable members to earn
awards by booking rooms in Cendant-franchised hotels and also
through purchasing partner products and services.
The products of travel insurer CSA will be
available through Sabre's eVoya Webtop, its desktop agency
platform, in December.
And, around the same time, CSA products will be part of
Revelex's offerings, too. Revelex provides technology and products
for the Power Agent agency desktop and for agencies' consumer Web
sites.
Sabre agents will be able to transfer PNR data to CSA, obtain a
quote and purchase a policy.
Travel Impressions unvieled TIConnect, which
lets agencies attach a Travel Impressions booking tool to their Web
sites. The tool lets customers select packages and add extras, such
as transfers, cars, meals, sightseeing and travel insurance, Travel
Impressions president Steve Gorga said.
The American Express Leisure Travel Index,
based on telephone consumer research conducted in September, paints
an improving picture for the travel industry. Travelers expect to
spend $2,962 on average for their longer vacations [more than five
days] in 2004, a significant rise from the $2,163 they projected
for 2003.
Airlines will benefit, based on the plans of 55% of respondents
to travel by air in 2004, a 25% rise from the 44% who flew in 2002,
American Express said.
Among those planning to travel by air, 48% said they will travel
both domestically and internationally, another significant leap
from 36% in 2002.
In other research, Hawaii and Rome are the most popular domestic
and international destinations, respectively, among American
Express' leisure clients for 2004, based on a survey of 114 of the
agency's counselors across the country.
The same respondents identified Honolulu and Cancun as the most
popular destinations, domestically and internationally, for the
coming holiday season.
For the coming year, they listed the most popular domestic
destinations, after Hawaii, in this order: Alaska, Las Vegas, New
York and Orlando. Overseas, they said the top destinations, after
Rome, are Cancun, London, Athens and Paris.
The National Association of Commissioned Travel
Agents will operate a Web site at www.hostagencydigest.com to initiate "an ongoing
conversation" between host-agency members [about 110 out its 2,400
members] "who need help from one another," as it's characterized on
the site.
It will be free for the first 90 days, after which a "nominal"
fee will apply, Nacta said.
Reporter Michael Milligan contributed to this
story.