More than four out of 10 US nonbusiness travelers surveyed expect to reduce the number of trips they will take in the coming year as a result of the economy, according to a June 2008 Destination Analysts’ “The State of the American Traveler” survey.
Nearly three out of 10 said they would spend less for their [...]

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Expedia is using Baynote Social Search to complement the site’s existing travel booking engine. Baynote Social Search refines search results, based on what other searchers have found most useful or most interesting. Now Expedia® customers are able to use organic search terms to find travel inspiration, trip planning tools and the information they need to [...]

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A new generation of travel Web sites is using creative features to help travelers customize their vacation, whether it be a kayaking adventure or a lazy stay at the beach.
Tips, ratings and itineraries – often supplied by everyday travelers rather than professionals – are a cornerstone for many of the new companies, which are competing [...]

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In Travelocity’s annual Forecast Poll (Jan ‘08) travelers responded to questions about how higher costs would impact their vacation plans for the coming year. But, with record-high gas prices, higher airfare, and a slew of unexpected airline fees, Travelocity took a second look. By comparing current travel data to the forecast poll they can show [...]

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The U.S. hotel industry, already suffering through a dismal U.S. economy, an airline crisis and record fuel prices, now faces tough negotiations over a major source of its income – corporate room rates.
Corporate contracts account for almost 35 percent of the U.S. hotel sector’s revenue, according to lodging industry veteran Bjorn Hanson of New York [...]

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Internet service is getting cheaper, not more expensive, and hotels already are shelling out for multiple T1 lines for their own internal use. The cost of providing the service to guests is marginal, and hotels are pocketing the sizable difference between that and what they charge per night for the privilege of a high-speed connection.
Travel [...]

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Social media isn’t always the right tool for the job. Not every company needs a blog. YouTube worked for BlendTec, but it might not work for your company. And yet, there’s something to this.
Chris Brogan has talked to four brands in America that are considering social media for one project or another and, as a [...]

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European Union and Danish officials named seven online travel operators and airlines Thursday in an ongoing crackdown against misleading ads and price schemes.
Online travel sites run in Denmark by Ryanair, Air Berlin, Air Baltic, SkyEurope, Aer Lingus, Brussels Airlines and Seat24 were singled out for violating European consumer law.
Consumers are being “led down by the [...]

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According to Hitwise’s latest travel report, 37.21% of all visits to the online ‘Travel’ industry went to the top 10 websites for the month of June, 2008. 46.43% went to the top 20 websites and 67.84% went to the top 100 websites.
The average visit duration for visits to the online ‘Travel’ industry was 10 minutes, [...]

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