Summer Travel 2014: The Travelers Are Back!

       Say the word summer, and for tens of millions of Americans the word is most associated with travel and vacation.  Unfortunately for the travel industry, all segments; from airlines, to resorts, to cruise lines saw huge losses in demand from the recession as the American consumer cut back on both the quantity and amount spent on leisure travel.  The good news is the travel industry has seen small steady growth over the last several years, as consumer confidence has slowly returned.  The reports from several travel industry groups show that trend is accelerating, as more Americans  not only want to travel more this summer, but are willing to spend more while they travel.

       According to a AAA survey, a post-recession record 36.1 million people are expected to travel during the  Memorial Day weekend.  This is a 1.5 percent increase, for the traditional start of the summer travel season.  The US airlines expect 210 million passengers to fly this summer, the highest in 6 years, including a record 29.9 million on international flights.  In addition the AAA report stated that not only are more people planning on traveling over Memorial Day, they are willing to spend more.  AAA also reports that hotels rates are going up 2% and airfares are up 6% from a year ago.  This increased spending trend is supported by a spokesman from the travel website Priceline, who recently told CNBC that summer travel spending is up over 1% from last year.

       Not only are Americans planning on travelling more this summer, they want to travel longer and are willing to upgrade.  According to a recent American Express Travel survey, the average summer trip in 2014 will last 10 days, a huge jump from last years 7 days.  Also people want more out of their trips, and want to upgrade their experiences.  In an interview with NBC News, Laura Fink, vice president of marketing at American Express Travel, stated; " across the board...people are paying a little more for the extras, cabin upgrades on cruise ships, better rooms at hotels".

       What this means, if you have procrastinated and haven't finished planning and booking that trip you want to do this summer, you may want to contact a travel professional. It will save you hours looking up airfare, researching resorts and your sanity.