When booking travel, millennials rely more on loyalty programs than do travelers in the 46-65 years age group, according to The Future of Travel study commissioned by Expedia and Egencia. In addition, the survey showed travelers between ages 18 and 30 are more likely to book business travel on a smartphone or tablet than are older consumers.
Half of millennials consider loyalty programs important when booking flights (48%) or hotels (51%), versus three in 10 travelers aged 46 to 65. Approximately one-third of millennials use smartphones to book business travel, and 20% book on tablets. That compares to 12% for smartphones and 9% for tablets for those travelers over 45.
Other findings from the study:
- Millennials traveling on business said they spend more of their company’s money on high-end meals (42%) than their own money compared to those in the 46-65 age group (26%);
- those under age 30 average 4.7 business trips per year, versus 3.6 trips for those between 31 and 45 years and 4.2 trips for travelers between 46 and 65 years; and
- approximately 60% of millennials have extended a business trip into a vacation. That compares to 51% in the 31-45 age group and 37% of those between 46 and 65 years.
The travel industry continues to suffer from the partial shutdown of the United States government. In a letter sent 11 October to President Barack Obama and the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Travel Association said the shutdown costs the U.S. $152 million per day in economic output due to lost travel-related activity. In addition, as many as 450,000 American workers are directly or indirectly affected by the shutdown.
In a separate letter to President Obama and Congress, the American Hotel & Lodging Association said the U.S. hotel industry suffers losses of $57.6 million for each week of the shutdown.
The shutdown began 1 October when the House of Representatives and Senate couldn't meet a deadline to agree on a bill to fund the government.
Heavy rains and flooding in parts of Colorado during the week of 9 September had an effect on hotel business in Boulder and other cities throughout the state’s Front Range, writes Chesley Price and Carter Wilson of STR Analytics, a sister company of Hotel News Now.
Demand had been trending at a higher pace for most cities prior to the impact of the storm, and then dropped off during the duration of the rain. By Monday, when the skies were clear and the media and the Federal Emergency Management Agency descended on the area, demand in each of the cities bumped up again. The exception was Estes Park, whose limited hotel supply and more isolated location (made further so by damaged roads leading into the area) only experienced massive demand declines.
Peak demand occurred on Tuesday, with some cities experiencing growth in excess of 80%, and then demand flattened to more normalized levels after that.
Visa applications for Chinese visitors entering the United Kingdom will be simplified, according to a BBC report. Under the plan, Chinese nationals visiting the European Union will not need to submit separate U.K. visa applications if they book with selected travel agents.
A mobile visa scheme that already operates in Beijing and Shanghai will be expanded as part of the changes, and a 24-hour "super priority" visa service will also be available starting next summer.
Hyatt Hotels Corporation signed management contracts to operate three additional hotels in Africa. Currently, there are six Hyatt-branded hotels on the continent.
Hyatt will manage two properties ASB Holdings Limited is developing in Tanzania: a 72-room Park Hyatt Zanzibar and a 144-room Hyatt Regency Arusha. The Arusha property opens in 2016, while the Zanzibar hotel is scheduled to open next year.
Lacoste & Cie S.A. is developing the 140-room Hyatt Dakar, the first Hyatt-branded property in Senegal. The hotel opens in 2016.
Compiled by Ed Watkins.