|
FORT WORTH, Texas, Dec. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- In a study of 2002 Winter holiday
travel trends, Travelocity, the sixth largest travel agency in the United
States, finds that travelers are staying closer to home this season. In addition
to North America, travel to Central America, South America and the Caribbean
show the greatest increase in popularity this year.
Latin American and Caribbean countries in particular have gained ground in
popularity this year among Travelocity holiday bookers. Destinations that saw
the most growth in interest include Lima, Peru; San Salvador, El Salvador;
Kingston, Jamaica; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Aruba; and Tortola, British Virgin
Islands. Mexico saw a surge in popularity in 2001, and continues to be a hot
spot in 2002.
"While most people still visit family and friends over the holidays, it is
interesting to note that more exotic vacation destinations such as Peru,
Argentina and Tortola have increased their overall share of bookings
significantly," said Amy Ziff, Travelocity's Editor-at-Large. "New York is still
number one, leading the pack of traditional big-city destinations such as
Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago."
Domestically, air travel to the nation's large cities is on the rebound.
Travelocity bookings for the Winter holiday show:
-- New York City, which saw a decrease in popularity in 2001, remains the
most popular destination for flights, with its overall share of
bookings up 25 percent over 2001 and 13 percent over 2000.
-- Denver is the second most popular destination, with ski season in high
gear, moving up from fifth place last year, with its share of bookings
up 27 percent over 2001 and 31 percent over 2000.
-- Los Angeles is the third most popular destination, with its share of
bookings staying approximately the same as 2001. Travel to Los
Angeles is still slightly down from 2000 -- by 8 percent.
-- San Francisco is fourth on the list and its share of bookings has
remained constant in 2001 and 2002.
-- Chicago rounds out the top five most popular destinations with its
share of bookings up 10 percent over 2001 -- a return to 2000 levels.
Looking overseas, despite lower fares to Europe and Asia, the study indicated
that fewer people are booking trips there this Winter holiday. Germany, France
and Switzerland have seen their share of trips decline. Asian countries less
popular this year include Japan, the Philippines, and Hong Kong.
Of the top 10 international destination cities for the Winter holiday 2002,
San Juan, Vancouver, Calgary and Cancun saw the share of their bookings increase
over 2001. The remaining top 10 international cities, including London, Paris,
and Rome, saw their share of tickets decline.
Additional Findings
Top 10 Cities Overall for Winter Holiday 2002 Air Travel Based on Travelocity
Bookings (Domestic and International Combined)
Ranking Ranking Ranking
2002 City 2001 2000
1 New York City 1 1
2 Denver 5 6
3 Los Angeles 2 2
4 San Francisco Bay Area 3 3
5 Chicago 4 4
6 Washington D.C. 6 5
7 Dallas 8 7
8 Houston 7 9
9 London 9 8
10 Detroit 11 11
Top 10 Domestic Cities for Winter Holiday 2002 Air Travel at Travelocity
Ranking Ranking Ranking
2002 City 2001 2000
1 New York City 1 1
2 Denver 5 6
3 Los Angeles 2 2
4 San Francisco Bay Area 3 3
5 Chicago 4 4
6 Washington D.C. 6 5
7 Dallas 8 7
8 Houston 7 8
9 Detroit 10 10
10 Orlando 9 9
Top 10 International Cities for Winter Holiday 2002 Air Travel at Travelocity
Ranking Ranking Ranking
2002 City 2001 2000
1 London 1 1
2 Toronto 2 3
3 Paris 3 2
4 Montreal 4 4
5 San Juan 5 7
6 Vancouver B.C. 7 6
7 Rome 6 5
8 Calgary 11 10
9 Cancun 13 9
10 Mexico City 9 15
About the Travelocity 2002 Winter Holiday Travel Trend Study
Travelocity reviewed all air bookings made by travelers on the site for
Winter holiday travel in 2002, 2001 and 2000. For Winter holiday 2000, the study
reviewed all tickets booked by Nov. 22, 2000 with departure between Dec. 22 and
Dec. 31, 2000 and returns between Dec. 26, 2000 and Jan. 7, 2001; for Winter
holiday 2001, all tickets booked by Nov. 21, 2001 with departure between Dec. 21
and Dec. 31, 2001 and return between Dec. 26, 2001 and Jan. 6, 2002; and for
Winter holiday 2002, all tickets booked by Nov. 20, 2002 with departure between
Dec. 20 and Dec. 31, 2002 and return between Dec. 26, 2002 and Jan. 5, 2003.
About Travelocity
Travelocity pioneered the online travel space and continues to be the most
popular travel service on the Web, giving consumers access to reservations and
information for more than 700 airlines, 55,000 hotels, 50 car rental companies
and 6,500 cruise and vacation packages, all backed by more than 1,000 customer
service representatives who offer 24-hour assistance. With 36 million members,
Travelocity is the sixth largest travel agency in the United States. It has been
recognized worldwide for its leadership in the online travel space, and it
operates or powers Web sites in seven languages across four continents.
Travelocity is wholly owned by Sabre Holdings Corporation
(NYSE: TSG) , the leading provider of technology and marketing services for
the travel industry.
|
Post Release
Get Content
Email News Brief
Saved Articles
Advertising
Handheld
XML/RSS
Post News