Wanderlust on the Rise: ALTOUR Travel Agents Report Gains Across All Cruise and Land Markets

New York - March 4, 2010 - The skies and seas are looking “friendly” to travelers again – especially the island-bound – as the February 2010 ALTOUR Index reveals improvement across all categories in both the land and cruise markets, as well as a new #1 destination: The Caribbean. The bi-monthly survey is conducted by ALTOUR, one of the largest and most respected agencies catering to the high end of the market.

            “I am seeing some pent-up travel coming out and booking,” reports Lou Conkling in Louisville, Kentucky. “Some of these folks passed up the last couple of years over economic issues, but seem to feel that their jobs are secure and there is additional discretionary income again.”

            For Linda D’Arcy in Oak Brook, Illinois, the signs of recovery are in exotic travel. “I have two China trips, two Africa trips, a Holy Land cruise and a Singapore-to-Dubai trip currently on the books. I have not had this many of the more exotic trips in the past few years.” D’Arcy is also seeing increased interest in upgrades, both to balcony cabins on cruises and oceanfront rooms on land.

            In some instances, travelers who grew accustomed to waiting for great last-minute deals in 2009 are facing “sold-out” scenarios in 2010. “People were booking at the last minute, getting great deals, and traveling where they wanted to go with no fear of anything being sold out,” says Roy Benecchi in Cincinnati, Ohio. “Now it is February 2010 and many clients still think that nobody is traveling. But with all the special offers that came out earlier, cruise lines, tour operators, airlines and hoteliers have been filling their vacancies.”  Benecchi reports that, in February alone, he has received inquiries for a luxury Mediterranean cruise already sold-out for May, a mass-market Panama Canal cruise with only balconies available for April, and a luxury hotel in the Irish countryside sold-out for the month of August.

In the cruise market, the luxury, premium and mass market segments are all posting gains. In March 2009, only 9% of agents reported higher demand compared to the previous year in both the luxury and premium categories, while those numbers jumped to 21% and 25% respectively in February 2010. Those reporting high demand for mass market cruise sales have risen from 14% last March to 26% this month.

“I see many more cruise requests lately, no doubt as they offer so much more for your money,” reports Susanne Plumley, in Orange, California. 

According to New York agent Pamela Delgado, “Clients are seeing better value for their dollars by booking longer sailings to more exotic destinations and using the perks that the cruise lines are offering: two-for-one air, free shore excursions, upgrades and incentive pricing.” Delgado is also seeing an increase in clients taking more than one vacation a year.

On land, all-inclusive resorts represent the strongest market, with 37% of agents reporting higher demand compared to 14% last March. The all-inclusive market is followed by sun/sand/surf (19%, up from 10%) and FIT (18%, up from 10%). Escorted tours rank at the bottom with just 6% of agents reporting higher demand, up from 0% in March 2009.
            The Caribbean takes the top spot for the first time since the ALTOUR Index began in June 2008, spurred, at least in part, by the unusually severe winter in the southern U.S. “The prolonged cold spell in Florida has forced those seeking warm weather to head further south,” explains Benecchi.

            Adds Delgado, “Puerto Rico seems to be having the great weather and has opened some really great new properties,” while several other agents point to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic as an appealing value choice. Delgado also predicts a strong comeback for Mexico, which has dropped to third place among top destinations, behind Europe, in the wake of last year’s negative publicity.

            Among emerging destinations, South America (48%) continues to dominate, as it has since the October 2008 ALTOUR Index. Eastern Europe (33%) returns to the top three in the #2 spot, while Southeast Asia and Egypt, which ranked second and third in the last issue, now share the #3 spot at 28%.

ABOUT ALTOUR: Established in 1991, by seasoned industry leader Alexandre Chemla, ALTOUR has grown to become one of the most sophisticated and highly respected global leaders in the travel world today. With a travel volume of over $800 million, ALTOUR is among the largest agencies serving the luxury and mid-market travel niches today. It has 75 offices and more than 1,000 travel professionals throughout the United States and in Europe.  Complementing its core travel management business, ALTOUR has developed a family of companies including Altour Limousine, Altour Air, Altour Travel Master, Altour Incentive Management, and Altour Management Technology. In 2009, ALTOUR signed a joint program with American Express Travel,. The agreement is designed to strengthen and expand services for American Express U.S. Representative Travel Network and ALTOUR’s travelers around the globe. ALTOUR also acquired 12 American Express travel service offices geographically spread throughout the United States and The Travel Authority based in Louisville, Kentucky which offers a full array of services including corporate travel management, online travel, vacation travel stores, meetings and incentives and professional and collegiate sports fan travel.  ALTOUR is ranked as the number one travel agency in Los Angeles County by the Los Angeles Business Journal, where the company is also cited among “2009 Best Places to Work in Los Angeles.” ALTOUR is ranked within Travel Weekly’s Top Travel Agencies in the United States and ranked #19 on the 2009 Power List, and among the Top Travel Agencies in the UK by Buying Business Travel.  For more information, please visit www.ALTOUR.com .