Travel in the Time of Trump

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - December 03, 2016) - As the wealthiest cabinet in history readies to take the reins in the upcoming Trump administration, America's wealthiest are also taking the lead in an unprecedented trend in travel. Upscale and luxury travel is set to explode in the coming six years, according to a new survey released last month by Allied Market Research.

The results, detailed in the latest issue of Tours.com's Travel-Intel, show that the growing taste for luxury travel is on a trajectory to increase by a CAGR of 6.4 percent and generate some $1.154 billion in revenues by 2022. The study cites a growing demand for unique and exotic holiday experiences, a rise in middle and upper middle class spending and the increasing impact of social media on the travel industry as key factors marking this explosion.

The story in Travel-Intel is one of several looking at recent and long-term trends in the travel industry. The publication, which is sent to 103,000 travel agents in North America and posted on Tours.com for travel consumers to read, also features some other noteworthy articles, including a piece that casts light on America's place in the world when it comes to available vacation days. Not surprisingly, the USA ranks dead last, just under the UK for official vacation days offered from work. US workers receive 15 vacation days per year, of which they take on average only 12. Several other countries, such as the UAE, France and Finland, give workers double that time for time off.

Similarly, as vacation days are fast disappearing, so are formerly complimentary allowances on airlines. United Airlines will become the next entrant into the was-free-now-for-a-fee club in 2017 when it joins such carriers as Spirit, Allegiant and Frontier in charging passengers to use overhead bin space to store their carry-on luggage. Travel-Intel looks at the new basic economy fares that United is rolling out and what they may mean for all travelers in the coming years.

In other stories, Arakur Ushuaia is featured as a cool, luxury stay at the bottom of the planet. The hotel in the quiet fishing village of Ushuaia in Argentina's legendary Tierra del Fuego, sits at the gateway for cruises to Antarctica and for travelers who want to venture where few have gone before. Arakur Ushuaia Resort and Spa overlooks the southern spine of the Andes and the Beagle Channel in a spot where cruise ships call and visitors explore for scenery, hikes, history and, of course, penguins. The property is a member of the exclusive Kurtz-Ahlers collection of luxury hotels, resorts and destination specialists.

As 2016 comes to a close, Travel-Intel looks at what's coming online next year in the cruise industry and as such global shipyards as Fincantieri, Meyer Werft, Meyer Turku and STX France release their latest newbuild ship designs. With more than 24 million passengers expected to take a cruise in 2017, the article checks out a new survey revealing what's hot and what's not for consumers in their cruising preferences.

Finally, a formerly overlooked type of traveler is getting noticed these days as a rising trend in the travel industry: the solo traveler. A 2015 study by VISA found that solo travelers doubled their numbers between 2013 and 2015 and have some very specific interests for what they want in a vacation. Travel-Intel looks at these preferences and then offers some sumptuous choices for solo-friendly trips for lone wanderers to consider.

Travel-Intel is written by travel industry journalists and focuses on changing trends in travel. Stories come from a variety of places and perspectives, including intel from travel industry conferences and expos, or first person experiences at popular hotels, exotic resorts, cruise ships and ports, and destinations near and far. Current issues and archives can be viewed at www.travel-intel.com.

"Covering travel is like covering politics. It is always changing, for better or worse, and consumers need to know what the landscape looks like in order make informed choices," says Lark Gould, content editor for Travel-Intel.

As a veteran travel journalist who has been covering the travel industry for more than 30 years, Lark Gould puts her incisive perspective into the weekly publication, with features and news updates, and also "packages" issues that present great travel deals to be found at hotels and resort locations worldwide. Travel-Intel can be viewed as a stand-alone publication on Tours.com. Gould publishes travel columns and stories for the Washington Times, Business Travel Executive, GoBankingrate.com and Business Traveler USA, as well as eTravel.news and Larkslist.

About Tours.com - The parent company of two well-established tourism websites and three trade newsletters, Tours.com, The only Worldwide Directory of Tours and Vacations, provides a deep and searchable database of tour and vacation operators. Sightseeing.com is the resource for local sightseeing and attractions worldwide. Trade newsletters include Travel-Intel a weekly compendium of research and packages for North American retail agents and Sightseeing News & Views -- highlighting the most interesting developments in sightseeing, attractions and travel brands and VR Tourism News -- the first VR newsletter for the travel industry. Tours.com celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2015.

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