New Surveys Reveal What Americans Want in Their Upcoming Summer Vacations

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - May 8, 2013) - Two new sweeping consumer surveys conducted by two major hospitality companies show what American workers want in a summer vacation and reveal what factors are influencing their travel plans. Surprisingly, it's not just budget, according to Travel-Intel, a weekly travel industry publication from Tours.com that goes to more than 140,000 sellers of travel in the U.S. and Canada.

The surveys, conducted for Springhill Suites and Destination Hotels & Resorts, show a rising interest in culture over fun in the sun, and value over cost.

The article on consumer travel trends is one of six features in the latest issue of Travel-Intel, a news publication that focuses on the state of travel today and what's new in a variety of locations and destinations.

In other news, Travel-Intel introduces The Jewel, the latest ship in a fleet of now seven owned by Scenic Cruises, an Australia-based cruise company that is now selling its luxury cruise vacations in the U.S. market. The fleet, all with names of gems and precious stones, is the first fully all-inclusive river cruise product including all dining, excursion choices and gratuities. The ships themselves take up to 169 passengers along iconic riverways from Istanbul to Amsterdam and through Russia and France with a certain level of luxury and service new to this vacation genre.

The Bristol Panama is another focus in this issue of Travel-Intel. With an economy growing at a rate of 9 percent a year, Panama is fast becoming the hub of business in Latin America and a mini-Dubai of offerings. While the Bristol's location in the heart of Panama City's thriving business district is a key component of its convenience, the property has now come out with a series of packages and day trips to show off the area's attractions from the Panama Canal to the Old City to the fascinating rainforest life just beyond the lights. The Bristol is a member of the exclusive Kurtz-Ahlers collection of hotels and resorts.

Finally, Travel-Intel's features venture east to India, where a series of fascinating day trips offered by The Lodhi New Delhi (formerly the Aman) give guests a quick but memorable day in Delhi. Meanwhile, the publication offers recommendations for what to do in Cambodia, which offers much more to explore beyond the mysteries of Angkor Wat.

Travel-Intel, a division of Tours.com, monitors the travel industry with weekly updates on trends, news and destinations for a database of more than 100,000 travel agent subscribers in the U.S. and Canada, and an overflow of tour companies around the world. The publication dispatches writers to travel conferences and popular travel destinations to bring back the latest intel.

Although Travel-Intel is direct-mailed, current features and archives can be viewed at www.travel-intel.com.

"Travel is an ever-changing industry that must be watched closely day to day and month to month. It's a big world and we keep on top of it for those whose business it is to sell travel," says Lark Gould, content director for Travel-Intel and Tours.com.

Gould, a veteran travel journalist who has been covering the travel industry for more than 20 years, puts her incisive perspective into the weekly publication, with features and news updates on the 1st and 15^th of each month. These issues are complemented by the Travel-Intel "packages" publications that detail great deals to be found at hotels and resort locations worldwide. Travel-Intel is also posted as a stand-alone site on Tours.com. Gould also serves on the editorial team for travel in the online communities section of the Washington Times.

About Tours.com: Tours.com since 1995 - The Official Directory of Tours & Vacations Worldwide. Tours.com has a deep and searchable database of vacation and tour companies searchable by company name, destination and/or activity. A comprehensive one-stop Travel Resource section, plus the Find a Travel Agent Specialist search allows one to search for travel agents with in-depth knowledge in their chosen specialty.