2011 Could Be A Bumper Year For Travel

Early predictions indicate that 2011 could be a bumper year for travel, with more tourists from the US and UK planning holidays abroad, according to a recent Tripadvisor survey.

In a poll of over 3,000 US-based travellers, 69% said they planned to take international trips next year. What’s more, they also plan to spend more while away, with 36% indicating that they will splash out more on travel in 2011 than they did in this year.
British travellers are also keen to travel long haul in 2011, with 66% of the 6,000 travellers surveyed stating that they plan to take an international trip next year. Over a third plan to spend more on their holidays in 2011 compared with 2010.

The survey also indicated that 2010 had been a year of travel anxieties, altering travel trends for the coming year. Top concerns for the Brits were further strikes but many were also worried about the rises in APD, the air travel tax, as well as the high-profile collapse of travel firms.

US travellers are mostly concerned about high carry-on baggage fees, hotels fees and TSA full body scanners but believe 2010 has seen several positive developments for the traveller, including more online travel deals and cheaper hotel rates.

American tourists are also reporting a rise in ‘fake-ations’, where travellers take their work on their trip. Technological advances have led to 59% of travellers in employment being more connected to work than ever before on leisure trips in 2010. Most travellers admit to checking their work e-mail on leisure trips, while 13% call the office to check in. Only 8% consider the remoteness of their destination specifically to avoid connecting with work.