Obama Administration Announces Gulf Recovery Plan
from Successful Meetings
 Based on recommendations from Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, President Barack Obama has endorsed the creation of a special fund to assist with long-term recovery efforts — including destination marketing — on the Gulf Coast, the White House announced last week. Part of an aggressive Gulf restoration plan outlined by Mabus, the Gulf Coast Recovery Fund would use civil penalties obtained from parties responsible for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to fund recovery projects in Louisiana and elsewhere along the Gulf Coast.
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NEW Study on the Drive Market
Often overshadowed by air travel, the drive market has economic impact throughout the journey -- with travelers stopping at small towns, attractions, restaurants, gas stations, and hotels, generating revenue throughout their trip.
U.S. Travel Association reports this is 85% of all travel in the U.S. Project 85 is the first study to segment this market, identifying who is the most valuable for destinations and travel providers.
The study is being conducted jointly by Solutionz (Solutionz.com) and Mandala Research (MandalaResearch.com). For information contact Laura@MandalaResearch.com or 703.798.5452.
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NBTA Foundation Study Finds
Corporate Travel Budgets Rebounding
from Business Travel News
Corporate travel budgets grew on average 5.5 percent this year and are poised to grow an additional 4.45 percent in 2011, thanks to a combination of increased corporate travel demand, higher supplier pricing and growing airline fees, a National Business Travel Association Foundation survey of 170 North American corporate travel buyers. According to respondents, the average corporate travel budget next year is expected to grow to $98 million, as 38 percent of respondents anticipate more travelers and 51 percent expect their company to log more trips. Sixty-seven percent of respondents expect higher supplier pricing, and 64 percent point to airline fees as drivers of that growth.
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Editorial: Faster Trains, for Real
from The Philadelphia Inquirer
The ambitious plan unveiled last week by Amtrak for true high-speed service along the Northeast Corridor has something going for it that no other U.S. rail project can boast: millions of riders already lined up to buy train tickets. As the nation's busiest rail corridor, the route from Boston to Washington, through Philadelphia, has a built-in base of customers. In the event that Amtrak realizes its vision for superfast service, the demand for faster trains in the Northeast seems almost assured — even if the fares, as expected, will not be cheap.
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A Global Strategy for Air Security
from The Detroit Free-Press
Nine months ago, a passenger tried to ignite an explosive device on a flight from Europe to Detroit on Christmas Day -- delivering a stark reminder that terrorists were still seeking to attack our country. In short, the Dec. 25 plot exploited the global nature of our aviation network and underscored the reality that, despite advances in screening and significant reforms following the 9/11 attacks, our international network still faced vulnerabilities.
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Gubernatorial Hopefuls: Tourism Matters
from The Day
They came from across the state, some arriving by the busload, others in their cars. A few wore the uniform of their trade, like the cluster of chefs adorned in crisp white uniforms, while others sported shirts with their tourism company's logo. They all packed into the Connecticut Convention Center last week, nearly 1,000 strong, with stickers proclaiming "Tourism Works for Connecticut," and they had one message for this state's three gubernatorial candidates: Support our $11.5 billion tourism industry. All three heard that message, and all three endorsed increased investment in tourism marketing by the state of Connecticut, with Tom Foley, the Republican candidate, and Dan Malloy, his Democratic rival, pledging to support millions of dollars in funding for the industry, which employs more than 110,000 statewide — nearly 7 percent of the total work force.
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Fight's on for Michigan Ad Dollars
from The Detroit News
The popular and successful Pure Michigan tourism advertising campaign is nearly dead as state tourism officials prepare a last-ditch effort to get some funding restored after the Nov. 2 elections. A budget cut approved by the state Legislature this week effectively killed the tourism ad campaigns for winter and next summer when it reduced the Pure Michigan promotional budget by two-thirds, according to a leader of Travel Michigan, part of the state agency that produced the marketing campaigns.
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Amtrak's $117 Billion Plan for High Speed Travel
from Fast Company
What can you buy for $117 billion? According to Amtrak, you can cut travel times between major East Coast cities in half. You can operate trains at up to 220 miles per hour, and you can start doing it all in just five years. Amtrak announced a concept plan last week for what would be the United States’ first high-speed rail service, connecting Washington D.C., Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston. The proposed rail line would be completed by 2040, with a launch for some sections as early as 2015.
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Are Travelers Frill-Seekers?
from MSNBC
Free drinks. Room upgrades. Better restaurants. That’s what the travel industry thinks you want from your next travel experience. But is that what travelers really want? Perhaps not.
A 2006 survey conducted by travel distribution company Amadeus offered a surprise answer: It isn’t frills or cheap tickets, but value that travelers are looking for. In some cases, they are even willing to pay more to get a better product.
But it could be even simpler, say experts: The travel industry could start by taking a few things away.
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Don’t Miss Marketing Outlook Forum!
from the U.S. Travel Association
Don’t miss out! Attend U.S. Travel’s 2010 Marketing Outlook Forum and be the first to hear representatives from the U.S. Department of Commerce Travel & Tourism Advisory Board and U.S Travel’s International Council discuss the future of international tourism efforts. A roundtable of experts will share their knowledge, experience and vision on how we can strengthen the travel brand and what we can achieve together. Learn more about The Road to Recovery at U.S. Travel’s 2010 Marketing Outlook Forum, held on Oct. 26-27 in Las Vegas. For more information, click here.
Stay an extra night in Vegas and attend Acxiom’s Travel Marketers Continuing Education Workshop on Oct. 28 from 8:30 a.m. to noon, brought to you at no additional cost by Acxiom.
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