Travelers have a lack of confidence in the state of the economy but a majority, 53%, plan to travel more this year than they did in 2011. That’s an 18% increase over the past year, notes Travelocity Global.
"The travel industry should be encouraged by our findings and take this as a vote of confidence," said Carl Sparks, President and CEO, Travelocity Global. "While increases in spending are being driven by higher prices, travelers are taking more vacations and trips that are longer and farther away this year compared to last."
He was referring to the results of Travelocity’s annual "Travel Confidence Report."
Of those respondents who planned on increasing their travel this year, about two-thirds plan to increase their travel budget in 2012, while slightly more than one-third will travel more without allocating more dollars to travel, "indicating they plan to stretch their dollars further," according to Travelocity.
"In order to save money, nearly 50 percent of respondents will increase their comparison shopping, date flexibility and begin booking further in advance," the site says.
A little more than two-thirds of respondents intend to book vacation packages (flight and hotel) or book hotels via flash sales, while 40 percent are likely to consider booking an opaque hotel such as "Top Secret Hotels."
By David Wilkening
