Dear Belliot,
I see that you have lowered the price of the question so I will go
ahead and repost my findings below as the offical answer to your
question.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
?According to Newsweek magazine, by 2005, travel industry revenue is
expected to be the number one contributor to U.S. Gross Domestic
Product (GDP). And the single biggest segment of that growth will be
leisure travel; most which will be leisure group travel.?
"Baby Boomers, - that is the largest segment of the market. They have
a pent up desire to travel, are armed with plenty of money, and like
to travel with friends, family, and other people with whom they share
common interests.?
OSSN E-agent Newslette: February 2003
http://www.ossn.com/newsletter/february03.htm
December 2003
?Group travel is showing signs of recovery in the last part of 2003,
and members of the travel industry are optimistic about having a good
2004. However, they caution that travel will not quickly rebound to
previous record levels, and unforeseen circumstances could again
hamper travel.?
(..)
?However, Spining said the growth is coming in the family reunion and
youth travel segments and not in senior groups.?
?We have a park that appeals to the mature market, unlike many other
theme parks. I think the tour market itself is a somewhat mature
market,? she said. ?We will always have a good percentage of that
market, but I don?t see a lot of growth there for the future."
?Just like everybody else, we?re seeing a lot of last-minute bookings
from the tour market. We?ll have tour groups of 50 to 60 people book
with us two weeks or even one week out.That?s a definite trend,? said Spining."
http://www.grouptravelleader.com/12_2003/2004growth.html
From the 2001 NTA Packaged Travel in North America study:
?When segmented into independent versus group travel, independent
packaged travel declined 9 percent while group packaged travel
declined 13 percent.?
?A majority of independent travelers utilized travel agents when
planning their trips, compared to 38 percent of group packaged
travelers. More than one-third of group travelers use a tour company
as a planning source, while only 18 percent of independent packaged
travelers did so.?
?The 2001 NTA Packaged Travel in North America study was conducted by
Dean Runyan Associates and Longwoods International. During each
quarter of 2001, a survey was mailed to approximately 57,000 consumers
in the United States and Canada. From these initial surveys, a panel
was selected from those who had purchased a travel package. These
travelers received a second, more in-depth survey regarding their
packaged travel experience. Sponsors of the study include Student
Youth Travel Association, Group Travel Leader and Group Tour
Magazine.?
NTA Online
http://www.ntaonline.com/0,5978,1_895_0_22821,00.html
Leisure Group Travel Market
Groople Automates Group Travel Online
July 14, 2004
?Groople, Denver, has announced the public launch of www.groople.com,
a retail marketplace designed for group travel. The site targets
myriad groups -- military, educational, religious, fraternal, bridal
and other social organizations -- allowing them to book travel and
accommodations for more than five rooms in a single online session.?
http://www.dmnews.com/cgi-bin/artprevbot.cgi?article_id=29392
?Groople is primed to become the industry?s largest automated solution
for unmanaged group leisure travel, a market estimated at $18 billion
to $24 billion.?
?We immediately recognized the many advantages of using Groople for
targeting and servicing the group travel market,? said Shelley
Carroll, General Manager of Summerfield Suites by Wyndham. ?The
potential for growth is tremendous and, with Groople?s advanced
technology, we feel like we?re ahead of the curve.?
http://www.eyefortravel.com/index.asp?news=42454
The travel industry calls the group travel market SMERF - social,
military, educational, religious and fraternal - valued at $18 billion
to $24 billion, Loy said.
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~33~2258757,00.html
================
Fee based report
================
Group Travel - UK - November 2003
Published by : Mintel International Group Ltd
An extensive investigation a travel sector considered niche but still
worth an estimated £2 billion, 'Group Travel - UK, 2003' is as
relevant to established operators as it is to travel companies or
investors looking to gain an expert's understanding of a growing
market.
http://www.the-infoshop.com/study/mt17173_group_travel.html
Here is a link to the executive summary of the 2001 Packaged Travel in
North America
http://www.ntaonline.com/staticfiles/ptna_executive_summary.pdf
The group travel industry is poised to increase ridership from the
past few years, as people begin to travel again and the industry
becomes more savvy marketers, according to the 2004 State of the
Motorcoach Industry. http://www.buses.org/industry/
Click here for the full report.
http://www.buses.org/industry/Motorcoach_Industry.cfm
Key highlights of a 2001 study conducted by The George Washington
University and commissioned by ABA to explore precisely how much of
overall tourism revenues earned by destinations came in via motorcoach
group or tour.
http://www.buses.org/industry/
?Destination marketers and travel industry suppliers have long known
that a significant share of their visitors either arrive by motorcoach
or join a group for sightseeing or transportation at some point in
their visit.?
Order the full report here:. http://www.buses.org/economic/form.pdf
From the Leisure Group Travel:
?With the many changes in group travel due to the
various tourism issues, most groups are seeking shorter
tours with unique and interesting activities. Many destinations are
now selected because of the entertainment or special event
that is available as part of the excursion. In many circles,
tourism for the sake of travel is dead; it has become more ?Eventism.?
The need for events or entertainment is becoming more of a driving
force in
developing and selecting a tour. Brick and mortar (museums, buildings
and historical sites) will always be around, but events and
entertainment create a driving need to complete the tour by a certain
date or miss the activity.?
Leisure Group Travel
http://www.leisuregrouptravel.com/archives/April2003/Embrey.pdf
The Caveman Returns to Small Group Travel, by Anne Brobyn
April 2002
***This article discusses group travel alter September 11th.
http://www.leisuregrouptravel.com/archives/April2002/Small_Group.pdf
Pulse of the Market by Jeff Gayduk
Article published by the Leisure Travel Gropup - June 2002
20% of all travelers are influenced by the events of September 11th.
Group travel organizers are finding more educated passengers, smaller
group sizes, overnight motorcoach tours flat to down and air tours
generally up.
Read the complete article here:
http://www.leisuregrouptravel.com/archives/June2002/Pulse_of_Market.pdf
2004 OUTLOOK FOR THE PACKAGED TRAVEL INDUSTRY
By Hank Phillips, CTP President National Tour Association
Excerpt:
"As we move through 2003 and into 2004, the packaged travel industry
and the members of the National Tour Association continue to face a
number of issues and identify various emerging trends. The effects of
war, SARS and the overall economy are continuing to have an impact on
tour operator businesses. However, through everything tour operators
continue to expand their products to an ever-broadening consumer. The
following will highlight some of the trends and statistics from the
National Tour Association and the packaged travel industry. Economic
Impact Residents of the United States and Canada purchased nearly 130
million overnight packaged trips during 2001, according to the 2001
NTA Packaged Travel in North America Study. The total direct impact of
packaged travel by U.S. and Canadian consumers worldwide is $166
billion figure of $186 billion. This is an 11 percent decrease from
the 2000."
Read the full text of this white paper here:
http://www.visitquadcities.com/pdfs/PackagedTravel.pdf
NTA research trends indicate positive growth in 2004
"According to the web-based, quarterly surveys that determine the
current state of tour operator business, NTA tour operator members
reported consistent business increases in each quarter of 2003 over
the same quarter in 2002. This included a steady increase in the
number of passengers and departures over the year, as well as improved
sales. This is consistent with overall economic indicators that
Americans are growing increasingly optimistic."
http://www.traveldailynews.com/new.asp?newid=15503&subcategory_id=96
National Tour Association releases 2002 member needs Survey Results
Monday, January 20, 2003
The survey confirms tour operator members are witnessing common trends
as a result of the events of September 2001.
?According to the survey of all NTA members, tour operator members are
observing an increase in travel closer to home and shorter trip times.
The survey indicates that 72 percent of tour operator members say
travelers are staying closer to home and 64 percent say vacationers
ventured on shorter trips this year. Thirty-four percent of tour
operator members are witnessing an increase in business to business
partnering with other operators and members. These results are all
indicative of the travel industry recovery trends since fourth quarter
2001.?
http://www.traveldailynews.com/new.asp?newid=9982&subcategory_id=83
The National Tour Association is an organization of nearly 4,000
tourism professionals representing the packaged travel industry, which
had a direct economic impact of $166 billion worldwide in 2001.
http://www.traveldailynews.com/new.asp?newid=10474&subcategory_id=110
Religious group travel market is expanding.
There is a 20% increase in the last 5 years of churches running travel programs.
"Since 9/11, there has been a renewed dedication to family and faith.
Attendance at Sunday church services skyrocked in the month's
following the disaster and has held up steadily. With this renewed
dedication to faith, there is also a new dedication to community.
These two factors are but a few of the reasons that the religious
group travel market is expanding and showing no sign of slowing down."
"The scope of this market is immense. There are over 450,000 churches
in the United States, about 50,000 of which are known to run group
travel programs. Compare this to the bank travel market, where there
is a total of roughly 10,000 community banks across the U.S., less
than 25% of them run any form of group travel."
"According to Michael Harvey, Vice President and General Manager of
Omaha, NE based American Church Lists, the religious travel market is
in the midst of a healthy growth cycle. "We've seen a 20% increase in
the last 5 years of churches running travel programs."
http://premiertourismmarketing.com/fyi/religious.html
Active Adult Residential Communities Group Travel
Outlook for the Future
"The convergence of three factors: the doubling of the senior
population by 2030; their inheritance of close to $10 trillion from
their parents' generation; and the idealistic "worry free" environment
that these communities provide in a world filled with worries paints a
rosy picture for this industry for the next generation.
"As the Bank Travel Market was to the group travel industry in the
early to mid 1990's, Active Adult Retirement Communities have the
potential to be in the coming decade."
Premier Tourism Marketing
http://premiertourismmarketing.com/fyi/aarc.html
FYI News and Insight November 2003
Results of survey:
Which market is poised for the greatest growth?
1. Sports
2. International Inbound
3. Mature - Reunion (tie)
4. Religious
5. Student
Premier Tour Marketing
http://premiertourismmarketing.com/press_room/fyi1103.html
Search criteria:
"Group travel? in the U.S. growth OR percent
"Group travel market"
"Group travel Industry"
"packaged travel"
tourism industry +group travel
I hope you find this information helpful!
Best regards,
Bobbie7 |
