Travel Advisors Point to Emerging Trends in U.S. Domestic Tourism

The latest figures from the U.S. Travel Association may show a decline in growth for international tourism to the U.S., but travel advisors say domestic travel is getting a boost from Americans. For some, it’s a desire to experience their country in new and different ways, with growing interest in civil rights history, Native American culture, and the vibrant culinary and music scenes in cities like Nashville, Austin, and Charleston.

Also driving the domestic trend is growth in family travel, no doubt stemming from the increasing numbers of millennials with children. A new survey from MMGY Global reports surging demand for road trips among millennial families.

National parks and other scenic areas are as popular as ever, but now they have more appeal for the luxury market thanks to the burgeoning number of glamping accommodations and upscale resorts in rustic locations. Another of our stories explores how luxury dude ranches are also drawing high-end travelers to down-home places.

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— Maria Lenhart, Travel Advisor Editor

Featured Stories

Travel Advisors See U.S. Domestic Tourism Evolving Amid Inbound Woes: Domestic leisure travel among Americans appears to be getting stronger, helping to offset declining growth in international visitors to the U.S. It’s also growing in new directions, with glamping and cultural tours especially popular.

Carnival Cruise Line’s Outreach to Travel Advisors Shores Up Rocky Relationship: Carnival Cruise Line has not always had the best relationship with travel advisors, but it has taken steps to turn that around. Its new campaign to promote the value of advisors should be especially effective.

Tourism

Protests Against Puerto Rico’s Governor Put Rebounding Tourism Industry to the Test: Puerto Rico’s tourism industry is back on track just shy of two years after Hurricane Maria, but the kind of civil unrest happening in San Juan last week is never great for tourism.

Destinations Leverage Tourism Pledges as Marketing Tactic in Age of Overtourism: Tourism pledges are commonly thought of as a way to improve visitor behavior. But done right, they can also potentially help attract a desirable kind of traveler: one who cares about the environment as much as locals.

Ranchers Wrangle Luxury Travelers to Wide-Open Spaces: As we frequently report in Skift New Luxury, five-star accommodation is no longer confined to the hotel sector. Shipping containers, tiny homes, and tents are all being tricked out to satisfy the high-end traveler’s need for novelty. And now, cowboy wannabes can even go posh by renting out a ranch.

Airlines and Airports

Should Boeing Change the Name of the 737 Max to Put Passengers at Ease? Many airline industry insiders say they expect passengers will fly the Max when it returns to service, provided the price is right. But branding and marketing experts see it differently. Many of them say Boeing must engage in a full-scale rebranding effort to make passengers comfortable enough to fly.

Atlanta: An Airport Case Study in Trying to Manage Plastic Waste: To reduce plastic waste, airports have to work with airlines, concessionaires, travelers, designers, local governments, and other parties. That’s a lot of people to educate and much behavior to influence.

Digital

Google to Congress: We’re Not a Travel Monopoly: Travelers indeed shop all over the place when they are doing trip-planning. But to downplay Google’s dominant role, as an exec did Tuesday, when travel brands are spending billions of dollars annually with the search engine-turned-travel-product operator, is disingenuous.

Skift Travel Advisor Editor Maria Lenhart [[email protected]] curates the Skift Travel Advisor Innovation Report. Skift emails the newsletter every Tuesday. Have a story idea? Or a juicy news tip? Want to share a memo? Send her an email.