AG 2011 02 21 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

' anticipate slow, but steady, room rate growth for the remainder of the year. It is expected that industry performance in the U.S. will exceed earlier forecasts. Part of the recovery however is due to a major pull -back in supply growth. This is not necessarily the case in North Carolina ' however. Year -to -date room supply is up 2.5 percent (through October). This data can be found at www.nccommerce.com /tourism /research The lodging industry is not without its challenges though. Recent research by TripAdvisor and ' Forrester Research, indicate that hotel brand loyalty has decreased significantly over that last several years. Forrester reports that travel brand loyalty fell from 42 percent in 2002 to 30 percent in 2009. ' Improvement is also being seen in the meetings and corporate sectors. The 3rd quarter Center for Exhibition Industry Research Index posted positive growth in all metrics for the first time since the first quarter of 2008. Professional attendance has also improved, as has the number ' of exhibit space sold and the number of exhibiting companies. Meeting planners are said to be very optimistic about 2011. Business travelers are also expected to travel more in 2011. According to a recent Deloitte survey, by the end of 2011, 80 percent of business travelers will ' have taken more or the same number of business trips than they did in 2010. They also indicate that they will spend more or the same, even though they also note that companies have become stricter on auditing expense accounts and justification of travel. ' Leisure travel appears to be on the mend as well. Ninety percent of leisure travelers plan to take at least two trips in 2011, and more than one -third plan to spend more than they spent this year. TripAdvisor's annual survey notes that the best travel developments of 2010 have been ' an increase in online travel deals (39 percent), lower hotel rates (22 percent) and more in- flight Wi -Fi (12 percent). ' Like domestic leisure travel, international travel is also showing signs of recovery. Through September 2010, international travel to the U.S. was up 11 'percent over the same time period in 2009 according to OTTI. Nine of the top 10 countries of origin showed increases with only the U.K. showing a decline. International visitors to the U.S. spent $100 billion in the first nine ' months of 2010. The Corporation for Travel Promotion is beginning its efforts to grow inbound travel to the country to aid in this recovery. For more information on the most recent U.S. Travel Outlook, visit www.ustravel.org / sites /default/files /page /2009 /09 /December public.html 1 -2 Page 262