New interview with Barbara Messing

In TravelMole’s ongoing interviews with people in the travel business, David Wilkening talked with Barbara Messing, vice president of Travel-Ticker.com.

Q: What are you seeing in places people want to travel these days?
A: As we all know in this economic environment, the travel industry is on sale and travelers are seeking an incredible vacation on a dime. At Travel Ticker, our relationships with more than 10,000 travel providers give us a good vantage point on industry trends. Domestically, cities like New York, Las Vegas, Miami, Phoenix are the most popular vacation hotspots, as is the re-emergence of Mexico. Best of all our customers are responding by taking advantage of the amazing deals on our site.

Hawaii is on everyone’s wish list, and what was previously a once in a lifetime vacation is now much more attainable. There are great packages available and upscale properties are now within reach of the average traveler.

Q: Is that changing much or has it been basically the same places?
A: While the major cities (NYC, Chicago, LA, D.C., SF), beach destinations (Florida, Hawaii) and golf destinations (Scottsdale, Palm Springs) have been popular for a while now…we are currently seeing increased interest from travelers to stay in smaller markets around the country such as San Diego, Nashville, Myrtle Beach, New Orleans, Minneapolis, St. Louis, San Antonio and Sedona AZ.

Q: Who is doing the most traveling these days? Families? Others.
A: There are so many deals to be had that it’s hard to pinpoint any one group that’s travelling more than another. We’ve seen a strong interest in the special Travel-Ticker.com categories “Luxury”, “Hotels under a Hundred” and “Hip and Trendy,, but those could be good for anyone – from singles, newlyweds, families to retirees.

Q: Who is making the decision where people go to travel?
A: Suppliers are taking aggressive measures and slashing prices to get people onto their beaches, by their pools and into their casinos. And we’re seeing that travelers are more apt to take advantage of whichever deals are the strongest. So if anything, the suppliers are participating in the decision-making process much more than they have in the past.

Q: Are there some bargain areas that travelers should know about?
A: Mexico! Mexico is safe again and ripe with truly amazing deals. Properties are feeling the crunch of the recent current events and are slashing their rates to entice tourists. Now is definitely the time to take advantage of the fantastic white sand beaches in Mexico. Also:

• San Diego has also been one of the hardest hit locales in the economic downturn; there is plenty to do for summer vacation fun and it’s easy to find as much as half off.

• Mountain deals – enjoy the mountains during the off-peak summer season for fun outdoor activities and sun (Whistler BC; Vail and Aspen CO).

Q: Is business up or down? Sort of an update of where you are in terms of attracting new business, new initiatives, new endeavors or expansions?
A: We are approaching our first anniversary (The newsletter page launched in 6/06 and the Web site July 08) and are very happy with our steady and continuous growth. More and more customers and suppliers alike are coming to us every day. Our goal is to ignite consumers’ imagination with irresistible handpicked travel deals. With an ear to the ground and an eye for the unique, our talented travel experts scour the marketplace the best deals for the best price we can find, often with exclusive complimentary extras.

Q: How about the general travel categories: is luxury still strong?
A: We’re seeing more and more luxury properties opening themselves up to a larger customer base by offering exclusive deals and extras to our site. Hotels which might have been out of reach for certain customers are now attainable. While that’s an indicator that the luxury market is struggling overall, it’s also an amazing opportunity to get exposure to a group of travelers who may not have had luxury on their radar previously.

Q: Predictions of future of travel industry: where it is going? How about technology? What is the impact today and in the future?
A: As the economic downturn continues, more suppliers will be forced to discount and use channels like Travel-Ticker.com that they might not have previously considered to reach new consumer segments.

We’re very active on Twitter (@travel_ticker) right now and we’re seeing an increase in two-way communication with our customers and potential travelers as they’re planning their trips.