Travel Trends 2006: Family Travel Is Up And Going Higher Across USA

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By FTFc Staff
Published: 13 June, 2006
Tags: usa

International Travel All Ages (continued)

International family travel specifically is on the increase, according to 57% of the agents polled in the American Express Travel survey, with about half citing cruises as the means of transport. The top five international destinations for American Express Travel clients are London, United Kingdom; Rome, Italy; Paris, France; Cancun, Mexico; and Nassau, Bahamas.

The European Travel Commission agrees; they estimate that for 2006, Europe could receive more American travelers than the record 13.12 million set in 2000. In an upward trajectory since 2003, US arrivals in Europe climbed to 12.6 million in 2005 -- up 4%. But overall, in keeping with the closer-to-home trends FTFc has seen since 2001, American spending for travel abroad fell 6%, helping to add nearly $6 billion to what the Commerce Department views as "the already favorable U.S. travel and tourism balance of trade."

On the plus side, domestically, U.S. airlines carried 4.1% more passengers in 2005. BTS reported that the airlines carried 660 million domestic passengers during 2005, up from the 635 million carried in 2004. The passengers were carried on 10 million flights each year, meaning that planes were more crowded in 2005 by 4.5%. The two most popular routes in terms of passenger load were Atlanta-Orlando-Atlanta and Los Angeles-Las Vegas-Los Angeles.

American Express Travel found the top five domestic destinations booked by their agents were Orlando, Florida; New York City; Miami, Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Washington, DC.

Domestic Travel All Ages

This may soon change. "I've seen people open up to more destinations than in the past," notes American Express agent Eskicioglu. While the largest volume of agency requests is for classic vacation destinations, she adds, "Families want more than just beaching it." In fact, 58% of the agents polled said that family clients were favorably impressed with the diverse product currently available, such as discounts on adjoining rooms, special family activities and resorts' efforts to guarantee connecting rooms.

Among airlines, Southwest carried 88 million domestic passengers during 2005, the most of any airline. The top 10 domestic airlines remained steady, with Delta, American, United, Northwest, US Airways, Continental, America West, and American Eagle following, and AirTran moving up from the number 12 spot to 10.

In contrast to international flights, the most used airports for domestic flights were many of the major airlines' hubs: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was the busiest, followed by Chicago O'Hare, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Los Angeles International, Las Vegas McCarran, Denver, Phoenix Sky Harbor, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County and Houston Bush Intercontinental.

Online Travel Research and Booking By All Ages

When it comes to the Internet, web users are increasingly likely to be leisure travelers, according to Forrester Research's Consumer Technographics Q3 2005 survey, with more than 35 million web users expected to spend 74.4 billion in 2006 on online travel purchases.

Forrester's research found that the average online leisure traveler is 44-years-old, with an average household income of $65,807. Of the 5,000+ surveyed, 65% are married or partnered, and 43% have children under 18 in their household, making this the single largest demographic. "The typical U. S. online leisure traveler takes 4.1 trips per year," their survey notes. "Of these, 57% travel to visit friends and family, 25% travel with their children, and 21% take weekend getaways with their children."

Forrester also discovered that the most frequent online travelers and biggest spenders were over age 55. Among online leisure travelers, 10% are over 55 and 14% are over 65, and they travel more often (an average of 4.4 trips per year) and spend more money (an average of $3,020 per trip) than other age group. It' s worth noting that back in 1995 when the BTS did their benchmark survey, 28% of all long distance person trips were taken by travelers over age 50.

While nearly 65% of those over 55 told Forrester that visiting family and friends was the main reason they travel, only 15% actually travel with family, compared to nearly 30% of adults between ages 25-54 who vacation with children. At FTF we think this is changing, as seniors transition from work to retirement to having fun.