Travel Trends for 2007, Part 1

I’ve already seen a dozen “travel trends of ’07” stories and we’re three days away from the end of the year. So either the editors planned these things weeks ago or are already hitting the bar at their New Year’s Eve party.

This travel trends story from MSNBC is actually a pretty good one though as it forces us to look at how things are changing in the tourism industry. Some of it is for the better, some not. In the latter category, I’m not sure it’s doing our planet any good for more people to go visit China. To say their building boom is out of control is like saying global warming might be a tad inconvenient. And at this point, do we really need any more spas?

On the other hand, it is encouraging to see people opting for European river cruises over mega cruises that just stop at port cities and even more encouraging to see travelers trying to make less of an impact on the environment. Assuming their heart’s in the right place and they have some skills, an increase in volunteer tourism is a good thing all around.

Looks like a few of the world’s cheapest travel destinations are booming, so don’t expect to keep seeing bargains forever.

“China and India are off the charts,” agreed Sandi Hughes, vice president of AAA Travel, the automobile association’s travel services division. She attributed the growth in travel to the region to a combination of business travel spurred by U.S. investment; immigrants and their families traveling back and forth; and pure leisure travel by Americans interested in culture, history and monuments.

The continued weakness of the dollar against the euro and the British pound may also be leading some American travelers “to look for alternate destinations,” said Rick Garlick, director of strategic consulting for the Maritz Hospitality Research Group. “Places like Thailand and Singapore have gained a new appeal.”

People do seem to be stretching their boundaries beyond what’s listed here. It seems that jaunts to Colombia and Nicaragua are becoming acceptable for Americans and holidays in Lapland are popular with Europeans.