Travel Leaders Group reveals Fall Travel Trends

European River Cruises Makes Greatest Gains Year-Over-Year; Caribbean Cruises and Orlando Take Top Spots for Fall Travel

New Survey Also Looks at "Political Hot Spots," and Most Anticipated New Cruise Ships

News provided by

Travel Leaders Group

Sep 10, 2014, 02:30 ET

PLYMOUTH, Minn., Sept. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, travel industry powerhouse Travel Leaders Group released findings from its most recent nationwide survey of travel agents. Based on actual bookings, nearly 90% of Travel Leaders Group agents stated that their overall bookings for 2014 are greater than or equal to this time last year. While the survey identified Orlando, Florida, and Caribbean cruising as the top domestic and international vacation destinations, respectively, for American travelers for the remainder of the year, European river cruises ranks as the "destination" making the biggest jump on either Top Ten list. Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas is the most-anticipated new cruise ship for cruise experts, and international political conflicts – in countries such as Egypt, Israel, Kenya, Russia, Thailand and Ukraine – are putting a dent in bookings within those regions.

Travel Leaders Group Logo. (PRNewsFoto/Travel Leaders Group) (PRNewsFoto/Travel Leaders Group)

This survey was conducted by Travel Leaders Group from August 4 - August 29, 2014, and includes responses from 1054 U.S.-based travel agency owners, managers and frontline travel agents from the flagship Travel Leaders brand, along with those affiliated with Travel Leaders Group's Cruise Holidays, Cruise Specialists, Luxury Travel Network, Nexion, Protravel International, Results! Travel, Travel Leaders Corporate, Tzell Travel Group and Vacation.com units.

"The results of our Fall Travel Trends Survey speak volumes in terms of a key indicator on the confidence many Americans have in their personal economic situation. To have nearly 90% of our agents reporting that bookings are higher than, or equal to, this time last year is very positive for our industry and the country," stated Travel Leaders Group CEO Barry Liben. "With London, Rome and European river cruising in the Top 5 on our international list, it's clear that Americans travelers will reap the benefits of 'shoulder season' in Europe. Elsewhere in the world, we are keenly aware of how politics impacts travel and constantly work with our clients to find the ideal travel options for each individual and offer peace of mind should our leisure or business travelers need us to change their travel plans at a moments' notice."

Travel Leaders Group travel agents from across the U.S. were asked to name up to five top domestic and international destinations they're booking for the remainder of the year. The following information and trends are based on actual booking data.

Rank	2014 Top Domestic - FALL	Percentage	2013 Rank
1	Orlando, FL	34.3%	2
2	Las Vegas, NV	33.2%	1
3	Maui, HI	31.9%	4
4	New York City, NY	30.1%	3
5	Honolulu, HI	22.1%	5
6	San Francisco, CA	18.2%	6
7	Chicago, IL	15.5%	7
8	Los Angeles, CA	15.1%	9
9	Washington, DC	14.0%	8
10	Boston, MA	12.7%	11 (tie)

Rank	2014 Top International - FALL	Percentage	2013 Rank
1	CRUISE – Caribbean	36.6%	1
2	Cancun, Mexico	32.6%	2
3	London, England	22.3%	3
4	Rome, Italy	21.2%	4
5	CRUISE – Europe (River)	20.8%	8
6	CRUISE – Europe (Mediterranean)	18.2%	5
7	Paris, France	17.9%	6
8	Punta Cana, Dominican Republic	14.9%	7
9	Montego Bay, Jamaica	13.2%	9
10	Playa del Carmen/Riviera Maya, Mexico	13.0%	10

Nearly 90% Indicate Overall 2014 Travel Bookings are Better or the Same as 2013: When asked to compare overall 2014 travel bookings so far to 2013 at this time last year, a majority (60.2%) indicated that their bookings are higher and 28.6% indicated that they are the same as compared to a year ago.

	2014	2013	2012	2011	2010	2009
They're higher	60.2%	56.5%	52.1%	55.3%	53.7%	9.4%
They're about even	28.6%	28.3%	28.8%	24.2%	23.9%	11.1%
They're lower	11.2%	15.2%	19.1%	20.5%	22.4%	79.4%

Cruise Bookings versus Last Year: When specifically asking those who book cruise vacations about bookings compared to last year, nearly 84% stated their comparable cruise bookings are either higher than or equal to this time last year (48.2% said cruise bookings are higher, while 35.5% said cruise bookings are on par with this time last year).

Most Anticipated New Cruise Ships: Travel Leaders Group agents, who are cruise experts, were provided with a list of 17 new ocean and river cruise ships that will debut between now and 2016. These cruise specialists were asked to identify which new ships they are most excited about. Agents could select up to three ships and the top responses were: (1) Quantum of the Seas (Royal Caribbean); Viking Star (Viking Ocean Cruises); and Norwegian Escape (Norwegian Cruise Line).

Top European River Cruise Countries: European river cruising continues to be the hottest trend in travel and offers travelers the opportunity to immerse themselves in some of Europe's great cities and towns. Travel Leaders Group cruise specialists were asked, "While many river cruises in Europe travel through multiple countries, what one country do your clients seem most excited about (either pre-trip or post-trip)?" The top responses were:

France	30.6%
Germany	27.7%
Hungary	13.3%
The Netherlands	8.3%
Austria	6.1%

To read the full news release – with additional data on river cruise clientele, political "hot spots" and impact on travel, heightened TSA security and the travel industry outlook for the remainder of the year – go here.