Luxury Winter Holiday Travel Plans
Poll Results Show That Travelers Intend to Take Christmas Vacations
Sep 14, 2008
There's been a lot of bad news out there for the travel business lately, what with economic concerns, record highs for fuel prices, and airlines cutting flights and even declaring bankruptcy. The travel and tourism industry can breath a sigh of relief, however: At least one poll indicates that vacation lovers are still planning to travel this upcoming holiday season. Because most luxury and family travel destinations make the bulk of their money during the holiday seasons, this is good news indeed.
Hideaways International is a luxury travel company, and results from its holiday travel poll for the holidays show that most of the members of its travel club still intend to take vacations away from home for the 2008-2009 winter holiday season. THe majority of poll respondents live in North America.
Hideaways International Holiday Travel Poll Results
76% of poll respondents intend to travel for Christmas and the winter holidays
56% intend to take a winter vacation in a tropical destination
8% of the poll takers want to celebrate Christmas in the bright lights of a festive city
6% plan to take a trip to a ski resort
6% intend to vacation at a distant relative's home
24% plan to host guests themselves, or travel to visit nearby relatives
A similar poll was conducted five years ago, in 2003.
Results then are somewhat similar to this year's: Poll respondents back then also intended to take holiday vacations in warm, tropical destinations over ski resorts or other more wintry climes. However, traveler interest in urban Christmas vacations increased dramatically, by 300%. That's a huge increase!
Luxury winter vacations in Paris or New York never go out of style, it seems - and in this case, they're more popular than ever. Upscale travel to ski resorts declined quite a bit in popularity, but there's still bound to be a long line to get onto the ski lifts at popular resorts such as Deer Valley and Heavenly in South Lake Tahoe.
That travel has become more difficult - particularly air travel - is old news. It's commonly agreed that airline travel satisfaction is low. These latest poll results reflect this, with a significant (and unfortunate) rise in the percentage of vacationers who plan to spend their winter holiday season close to home. This may also be a sign of the iffy economic times, of course; with the possibility of a recession, less people may want to spend their savings on luxury travel.
The 36% rise in people planning to forego Christmas vacations in distant lands is not necessarily a portent of bad times for the travel business, though - remember, the percentage of those who plan tropical vacations remains constant, and urban travel is on the rise. In light of this, Hideaways International advises that travel planners make their airline reservations sooner, rather than later. It would be a shame to plan a luxury tropical or city vacation, only to be stymied by a lack of airline seats.
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