PLYMOUTH, Minn., Dec. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Travel
Leaders Group unveiled the 2015 results of its authoritative annual
Travel Trends Survey. Based on the findings, there is
a major shake-up among the most popular U.S. destinations heading
into the New Year – the rugged and untamed beauty of Alaska, enjoyed via cruising, has dethroned
Las Vegas and stands at #1 in an
extremely tight contest that also includes Orlando, Maui, and New York City. The single,
hottest destination trend in travel last year – European river
cruising – jumps up another spot in 2015 to #4 on the Top
International Destinations list, just behind Caribbean cruising, Cancun (Mexico) and London, respectively. This year's survey
results also reveal that 96.5% of travel agents surveyed state
client spending will be the same or higher in the coming
year and 85% of agents indicate that 2015 bookings are on par or
greater than this time one year ago.
This survey, based on actual booking data, was conducted
by Travel Leaders Group from November 11 -
December 8, 2014, and includes responses from 1,226
U.S.-based travel agency owners, managers and frontline travel
agents from the flagship Travel Leaders brand, along with those
affiliated with Travel Leaders Group's Cruise Holidays, Cruise
Specialists, Luxury Travel Network, Nexion, Protravel
International, Results! Travel, Travel Leaders Corporate, Tzell
Travel Group and Vacation.com units.
"For the past a decade and a half, Las
Vegas and Orlando have
jockeyed for the top spot in our survey. So what we are seeing –
even if mere tenths of a percentage point separate our top four
destinations – is a seismic shift for American travelers in 2015.
Alaska is vast, so cruising
enables one to see so much more of this enormously and stunningly
beautiful area – plus, this type of vacation, which can be
perceived as slightly rustic, can be as luxurious as one desires,"
stated Travel Leaders Group CEO Barry
Liben. "Internationally, while Caribbean cruising leads the way, Europe is drawing in Americans in the highest
numbers we've seen this millennium. Eight of the top 15
international destinations this year are 'across the pond,'
including London (#3), European
river cruises (#4), Rome (#5),
Mediterranean cruises (#6) and Paris (#7). The strong interest for
those destinations plays a definite factor in our agents stating
nearly 97% of their clients will be spending the same or more on
their vacations in 2015."
Liben added, "An interesting headline from last week was on the
'Great Divide' in which Wall Street is bullish and 'Main Street' is
still a bit gloomy. From a travel industry perspective, our
travel agents have never been more optimistic. Nearly 98% of
Travel Leaders Group agents polled state they are positive or
neutral on the outlook for their business in the coming year.
What they have working for them is their passion, knowledge and
expertise in matching the right vacation to the right individual
and making certain each of our clients are getting the most value
for the hard-earned money they are spending on travel."
Top Destinations: U.S. and International Based on Actual 2015
Bookings:
The following lists display the top domestic and
international destinations for 2015 (agents were asked to name up
to five top destinations they're already booking for 2015):
Rank
|
2015 Top Domestic
Destinations
|
2015%
|
Rank
'14
|
1
|
CRUISE –
Alaska
|
33.56%
|
4
|
2
|
Orlando,
FL
|
33.22%
|
2
|
3
|
Maui, HI
|
32.55%
|
3
|
4
|
New York City,
NY
|
32.13%
|
5
|
5
|
Las Vegas,
NV
|
29.61%
|
1
|
6
|
Honolulu,
HI
|
20.97%
|
6
|
7
|
San Francisco,
CA
|
16.36%
|
7
|
8
|
Chicago,
IL
|
15.44%
|
11
|
9
|
Los Angeles,
CA
|
15.18%
|
10
|
10
|
Washington,
D.C.
|
12.67%
|
12 (tie)
|
Rank
|
2015 Top
International Destinations
|
2015%
|
Rank
'14
|
1
|
CRUISE –
Caribbean
|
37.5%
|
1
|
2
|
Cancun,
Mexico
|
31.8%
|
2
|
3
|
London,
England
|
27.6%
|
6
|
4
|
CRUISE – Europe
(River)
|
25.1%
|
5
|
5
|
Rome,
Italy
|
21.3%
|
4
|
6
|
CRUISE – Europe
(Mediterranean)
|
20.6%
|
3
|
7
|
Paris,
France
|
19.0%
|
8
|
8
|
Punta Cana, Dominican
Republic
|
15.7%
|
7
|
9
|
Montego Bay,
Jamaica
|
13.5%
|
10
|
10
|
Playa del
Carmen/Riviera Maya, Mexico
|
11.0%
|
9
|
Top "Up and Coming" International Destinations:
When asked for their expert findings, Travel Leaders Group agents
nationally indicate the following as the "up and coming"
international destinations within Europe, the Pacific, Africa, Asia/Southeast
Asia and Central/South America.
- Europe "Up and Coming": Croatia (25.2%), Greek Islands (21.0%),
Iceland (17.8%), Czech Republic (10.3%), Portugal (8.8%). Last
year the top destinations in this category were: Croatia, Iceland, Turkey, Czech
Republic and Portugal,
respectively.
- Central/South America "Up and Coming":
Costa Rica (30.5%), Peru (11.2%), Ecuador and Galapagos Islands (10.2%),
Cuba (9.4%), and Belize (7.9%). Licensed
American travelers currently have the limited ability to visit
Cuba as part of a "people to
people" educational exchange. With the announcement on December 17, 2014, that the U.S. is normalizing
relations with Cuba and reducing
travel limitations, pent up demand and more ways for U.S. citizens
to immerse themselves in Cuba's
history and culture will continue to boost Cuba's placement among Travel Leaders Group's
"up and coming" destinations.
For more top "up and coming" destinations and the full news
release, go here.
For a comprehensive list of Top Destinations, go
here.
Contact:
|
Steve Loucks,
CTC
|
Kathy
Gerhardt
|
|
763-744-3797
|
763-744-3710
|
|
sloucks@travelleaders.com
|
kgerhardt@travelleaders.com
|
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SOURCE Travel Leaders Group