'm taking a few members of my family
on an international trip this week and am looking forward to
sharing time with them. Included in the group are my daughter, who
has just turned 18, and one of my sons, now 33.
They haven't spent a lot of time together in recent years, and
the trip should be a chance for them to get to know each other
better.
Families traveling together are becoming an increasingly
important part of the travel market. A key component of this trend
is the rise of family-reunion trips. A majority of agents contacted
in a recent ASTA/Vacation.com poll confirmed they are getting more
requests for such trips.
Family-reunion trips began picking up steam a few years ago and
have gained momentum in the nearly two years since 9/11. Two out of
three agencies report that they have booked at least one such trip
in the past year. On average, according to the poll, agents book
nine family reunions a year, with the average group size being
between 10 and 25 people. Some agents have booked reunion trips for
as many as 500.
In their desire to share travel experiences with their children
and grandchildren, it's the grandparents who often serve as
catalysts for these trips. The occasion may be a milestone wedding
anniversary or a birthday, but, increasingly, people need no
pretext to bring their loved ones together. The nightmare of 9/11
reminded us all of the importance of spending time with the people
we care about most.
Cruises represent the top choice for family-reunion groups.
Short cruises of three to five days topped the ASTA/Vacation.com
poll, but longer cruises ranked a close second. Other popular
options are trips to all-inclusive resorts and theme parks.
The cruise lines, cognizant of the growing trend, are spending
the most marketing dollars to attract reunion business;
all-inclusive resorts rank second in marketing to this sector, and
the Disney organization was cited in the third position.
The rising popularity of family reunions -- or what one tour
company calls multigenerational trips -- signals an opportunity for
the trade. Group bookings of this kind can be lucrative but, more
importantly, if an agency does a good job in handling family
reunions, it is likely to get long-term business from the
individuals participating in the trips.
For agencies interested in getting into this niche, ASTA has
provided a good deal of information on its Web site, at www.astanet.com. Tools
include a series of tips for planning a successful family
reunion.
With all the pressures facing leisure agencies these days, there
is a growing need to find new categories of business, and family
reunions hold great promise.