According to the Travel Industry Association of America`s (TIA) Spring 2004 travel forecast…
According to the Travel Industry Association of America`s (TIA) Spring 2004 travel forecast, Americans will take 270.2 million person-trips during March, April and May 2004, an increase of 3.3 percent over last spring. The overall forecast calls for the strongest spring travel season since the spring of 2001. A person-trip is one person on one trip traveling 50 miles or more from home, one way.
These figures represent a welcome turnaround, remarked Dr. Suzanne Cook, senior vice president of research and technology for the Travel Industry Association of America. Consumers are more confident about spending their discretionary income on travel. They have a high interest in travel and they feel prices are affordable, all of which bodes well for the industry`s continued recovery.
After waning slightly during the last few spring seasons, TIA predicts spring 2004 leisure travel will show a positive growth of 3.1 percent over last spring. This would be the highest volume of spring person-trips in five years with Americans planning on taking more than 215 million leisure person-trips this spring.
As evidence that business travel is finally starting to recover, TIA`s forecast calls for a 5 percent hike in business and convention travel volume this spring compared to spring 2003. American business travelers plan on taking nearly 45 million business person-trips this spring, representing the highest number of business trips since spring of 2001.
NOTE: The results of TIA`s Spring 2004 travel forecast are based on TIA`s seasonal travel forecasting model developed in partnership with Global Insight, Inc.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
