The third monthly Tourism Barometer has just been released by the
The third monthly Tourism Barometer has just been released by the
Hotel occupancy rates were even with August 2001, an indication that some degree of stability is returning to the hotel market for the first time since September 11, 2001. Average room rates were down only marginally.
International airline travel and border crossing traffic are still well below 2001 levels. Both are down about 18 percent. Comparatively, domestic airline traffic is faring better but still down 3.6 percent from the same time last year.
A bright spot is that local attraction attendance has jumped nearly 13 percent, largely a reflection of more local marketing efforts by the tourism industry since September 11 along with the desire of families to remain closer to home and focus on family activities.
I think the barometer shows we are turning a corner, but we are using our turn signals and proceeding with caution, said Larry Alexander, president and CEO of the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau. It wasn`t a banner year for summer travel, but it could have been much worse. Alexander predicts that the tourism industry will remain volatile as long as the U.S. economy continues to struggle and the state of foreign affairs remains uncertain.
Alexander said the barometer was developed by the DMCVB as a resource for the local tourism industry to use in identifying and capitalizing on market trends.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
