New Study: Travelers Are Trading Up: Hello Vacation, Good Bye Staycation

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - Sep 5, 2012) - New research shows Americans are headed back on the road, making solid travel plans and spending money on vacations, despite shaky economic times. Tours.com's Travel-Intel follows the money, looking at a survey of 2,527 U.S. households that reveals what Americans want in a travel experience.

The September 1^st issue of Travel-Intel notes that American travelers seek "worth it" experiences, and are willing to spend a little more for it, according to an MMGY Global/Harrison Group 2012 Portrait of American Travelers report released recently. The survey reports the average amount spent on vacations over the last 12 months has increased to $4,461, compared to $3,874 during the same 12 months two years ago.

This issue of Travel-Intel, a leading news source for the travel industry, also looks at the vacations Americans are not taking. In an article about the "Vanishing Vacation," the travel publication reports that workers with annual vacation benefits leave an average of 11 vacation days on the table. The newsletter also examines which cities are the worst offenders for harboring workaholics who forfeit their vacation days.

In the same issue, readers can get a glimpse of the China they might not see on a regular tour. An article about WildChina, a progressive company that specializes in deep experiential visits to China, notes how kung fu lessons with Shaolin monks and hiking the highlands in search of wild pandas are not usually on most tour company menus. WildChina is a member of the Kurtz-Alhers & Associates' collection of exclusive travel products.

Also included are articles about how Egypt is opening up the lower Nile to river cruises after 18 years. Visitors to Egypt will be able to sail from Cairo rather than Luxor by early 2013. And finally, a food and wine fest in Napa Valley in November is packaging with key area resorts for a heady, flavorful celebration of the good life. Travel-Intel delivers the deals.

Travel-Intel tracks trends in travel and is sent bi-weekly to 100,000 travel agents in North America. The articles in Travel-Intel are written by experienced journalists who scour the globe for the latest news in destinations and transport. The travel publication then posts on Tours.com for those seeking answers through Tours.com's official directory of tour companies and travel information.

Current features and archives can be viewed at www.travel-intel.com.

"Both those who sell travel and those who do the traveling require active and ready information at all times. The world of travel can be a complicated landscape," says Lark Ellen Gould, content director for Travel-Intel and Tours.com. "We look at airlines, cruise lines, hotels and vacation destinations to keep our readers current with what they need to know about travel."

Gould, a veteran travel journalist who has been covering the travel industry for more than 20 years, brings her incisive perspective to the publication and emails it on the 1^st and 15^th of each month to more than 100,000 travel agent subscribers in the U.S. and Canada, before posting those stories on Tours.com.

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. For more information visit www.tours.com