TI News: An information service from Office of Travel & Tourism Industries (OTTI)

November 28, 2008

INVITATION TO JOIN THE TRAVEL TRADE BAROMETER PROGRAM

What will 2009 bring for your destination/business?

The U.N. World Tourism Organization’s latest report on travel for 2008 shows dramatic shifts in global international travel patterns and a slowing of growth in 2008 and 2009.

At the recent TIA Marketing Outlook Forum, Helen Marano, Director of the Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, announced Tourism Economics’ econometric model forecast for international travel that calls for record arrivals to the United States in 2008, but expects declines in 2009. But, which markets will decline and for how long?

Throughout the Forum, panelists echoed the need monitor change. Now more than ever, the need for guidance on short-term projections of inbound travel is critical to industry and government. How do we meet that need?

Through the Power of Partnerships

• The Travel Trade Barometer¹ program meets this need through a partnership among
  • U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, Office of Travel and Tourism Industries;
  • Travel Industry Association;
  • Travel Market Insights; and
  • In-country Travel Trade that sell and promote travel to the United States.

Markets:

• Barometers in place: Canada, Germany, Mexico and the United Kingdom
• New Barometers currently under consideration: China and Japan

What does the only U.S. specific in-bound quarterly Travel Trade Barometer provide your destination or business?

• Actual booking performance to the United States and your destination/business;
• Projected bookings to the United States and your destination/business (3-6 months out);
• Defines and monitors motivators and deterrents for travel to the United States;
• Reports on the U.S. competitive position with other long-haul destinations;
• Monitors travel product trends (amusement/theme parks, city travel, family, etc.); and
• Custom reports
  • Product awareness assessment
  • Product perception assessment
  • Disaster impact and monitoring

Proven Performance – How accurate is the Travel Trade Barometer?

• Since its inception in 2002, Travel Trade Barometer results consistently match official U.S. arrival figures, but on a more timely basis.
• In May 2005, the Barometer accurately projected what no other source had for the United Kingdom market – that bookings to the United States were not going to meet other more optimistic projections. More importantly, the Barometer identified key reasons why bookings were sluggish and to what destinations. Results continue to be an early leading indicator.

We invite you to join us! You can use the Travel Trade Barometers in your annual marketing plan development, to prepare for sales missions and trade education programs, to better understand the current state of play in international markets in which you are already represented, or to determine if you want to expand to new market(s). As a partner to this program, you also have the opportunity to add a question to the Barometer, to gain additional information and insight about the international market(s) in which you are, or may be working.

Barometer subscriptions start at $5,000 and there are two other levels of partnership in this program.

For Additional Information:

For more information on the Travel Trade Barometer Program, please visit http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/research/programs/barometer/index.html

Contacts:

U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration
Office of Travel and Tourism Industries
Ron Erdmann, Deputy Director of Research
Claudia Wolfe, Economist
Phone: (202) 482-0140
E-mail: ron.erdmann@mail.doc.gov or
           claudia.wolfe@mail.doc.gov

Travel Industry Association
David Sheatsley, Director, Marketing Research
Phone: (202) 218-3633
E-mail: DSheatsley@tia.org

Travel Market Insights
Scott Johnson, President
Phone:  (518) 668-2559
E-mail: scott@travelmi.com

¹ The Travel Trade Barometer is a qualitative survey designed to collect input from active travel trade working in the United Kingdom, Germany, Mexico, and Canada to promote and/or sell travel to the United States.  It is a quarterly Internet based survey of the travel trade in each market.