Suppliers seem to have won the battle for online leisure and unmanaged business travel market share in the US, according to December 2008 PhoCusWright data.
Fully 61% of online travel sales are now made directly at supplier sites, compared with 39% for online travel agencies (OTAs) in 2008. This balance is projected to hold steady through [...]

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The multi-billion dollar medical travel sector could become an important new source of demand when traditional demand drivers are under increasing threat.
According to Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels’ most recent research FocusOn Medical Travel – fad or focus for hotel operators and investors?, the medical travel sector has potential to develop into a lucrative niche market [...]

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For decades, luxury hotels have been oases for travelers in developing countries. But last week’s lethal attacks on two of India’s most famous hotels have underlined the extent to which these hotels are becoming magnets for terrorists.
Hotel executives and security experts say that little can be done to stop extensively trained gunmen with military assault [...]

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Travel and transportation companies need to revamp their loyalty programs to ” replace reluctant allegiance with genuine loyalty,” according to a new paper from IBM.
In addition, the U.S. market is saturated with only 40% of loyalty-program memberships considered active despite ever-increasing membership. That means people aren’t using the loyalty rewards they’re earning.
“Overall, it’s a pretty [...]

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Calling the airline is a thing of the past. US business travelers surveyed who flew more than six times during the previous 12 months preferred to book their trips online instead of by phone or e-mail. That held true whether the travelers booked directly with suppliers or had their corporate travel departments handle the bookings.
The [...]

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It’s not too soon to start thinking about traveling next year. In 2009, a series of new rules and regulations kick in that could affect your vacation. Ignore them, and you might find yourself delayed or denied access to your destination.
Don’t let that happen to you. Here are four new rules you need to know [...]

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With the travel industry already feeling the pain of the economic downturn, Google on Wednesday convened more than a hundred travel marketing executives at TravelThink 2008 to offer strategies for boosting business, as well as to get feedback.
As one of the industries to embrace search early on, travel has become a key business category for [...]

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Airlines reported sharp declines in passenger traffic for September. Hotel occupancy rates are down, and corporate travel managers are demanding new concessions on previously negotiated deals. Cancellations are starting to rise even at four- and five-star hotels, which previously seemed immune to the economy’s travails.
Months ago, the nation’s airlines, which are grounding some of their [...]

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TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel community, yesterday announced the results of its annual travel trends survey of more than 3,000 U.S. travelers. The primary trends identified are that travelers appear to be going lean and green by visiting national parks, hiking, and engaging in adventure activities. A greater amount of Americans said they will be [...]

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