The travel review megasite TripAdvisor.com has just released their annual Travel Trends Survey for 2007. Based on the survey of 4,000 travelers worldwide, they have come up with some exciting findings. It seems the Adirondacks is ideally positioned to be a top destination featuring many of the things travelers are seeking to find, and to avoid. I’ll note some of our strengths and suggest some areas of improvement.
Top Adirondack Features for Travel in 2007
- Outdoor Activity Heaven – The Adirondacks is a 4-season outdoor recreation destination. Most already know about the spectacular hiking and paddling, but there is also hunting, fishing, skiing, climbing, rafting, birding, snowshoeing, cycling, sailing, and more. Wow!
- Rest and Relaxation – Since the earliest days of travel, the Adirondacks has been a place to go for vacation. After all, the Adirondack Chair was invented here. Whether it is a day at the spa or just a good book dockside, almost everyone agrees that a rejuvenating experience is nearly guaranteed.
- Water, Everywhere – With “30,000 miles of rivers and streams and 2,800 lakes and ponds“, the primary geographic feature of the Adirondacks is water. It’s really no surprise that travelers seeking a destination near water are naturally attracted here.
- Convenient, Safe, and a Value Too – Easily accessed from several major Northeast cities, it’s not terribly difficult to reach the Adirondacks. There are accommodations and camping to suit almost any budget and taste.
Just the Basics
The formula for attracting, impressing, and retaining the ever more saavy traveler is pretty simple – we just need to do things right.
- Keep things clean – Everything counts when your onstage – the audience sees everything. Nowadays that means being clean AND green too.
- Respect your guest – The Customer is King. Treat them like one and you’ll see how well it works.
- Souvenirs – A vacation is more than just travel, it’s an experience that can last a lifetime. Give your guest something great to take with them and you’ll have a customer for life.
Traveler’s Likes and Dislikes in Travel for 2007 – TripAdvisor Travel Trends Survey
Pining for Pine Trees: Forty-three percent of travelers are likely to go hiking, up from 24 percent one year ago, and 39 percent intend to partake in adventure activities (such as parasailing and whitewater rafting), up from 29 percent last year. More women than men plan to participate in outdoor activities in 2007 according to the survey.
Germaphobic Guests: Travelers continue to suffer from germaphobia as 24 percent won’t leave home without disinfectant/cleaning supplies, shower shoes, their own pillow, their own sheets/pillowcase, or their own towels, compared to 22 percent, last year. Travelers from the U.S. are more than twice as concerned as travelers from the U.K.
Spas Losing Steam: Fewer travelers (47 percent) intend to visit a spa this year, compared to last year (55 percent).
Pesky Parasites: Four percent of travelers have experienced bed bugs in a hotel room.
Baring it All: Ten percent of travelers have stayed at a clothing-optional or adults-only resort; two percent want to, but can’t because of their significant other or spouse.
Loose Lips Sink Ships: Eighteen percent of travelers have had to impose the “whatever happens in (fill in the destination), stays in (fill in the destination)” rule with their travel partners.
Love is in the Air: Six percent of travelers were asked on a date or started a romantic relationship with a perfect stranger while on a flight, up from four percent last year.
Loosening the Ties: Twenty-six percent of travelers are likely to dress more provocatively while on vacation than they ever would at home.
Work-aholism: Sixteen percent of travelers checked their work email or voicemail at least once daily when on their last vacation.
Hotel Kleptomania: Twenty percent of travelers have taken items from a hotel such as towels, bathrobes, decorative pieces, glassware or flatware.
Paint the Town Red: Four percent of travelers are likely to do something illegal that they wouldn’t normally do at home.
Star-Crossed: Sixty-eight percent of travelers have been to a destination known to have celebrity guests.
Rapid Relaxation: Twenty percent of travelers said it took them less than one hour to relax on their last vacation. For an additional 35 percent, it took less than a day, and three percent could never relax.
Hit the Gas: Eighty-one percent of travelers plan to drive this year for leisure trips, versus 71 percent just one year ago.
Going Green: Thirteen percent of travelers are likely to use a bicycle as a means of transportation for their next vacation, eleven percent will go sailing and four percent will ride in a rickshaw.
Skip My Loo: Twenty-eight percent of travelers said their worst experience in a hotel room was a dirty bathroom, and 75 percent of travelers think that a clean restroom is what makes an airport great. Eight percent of travelers have actually showered in an airport restroom.
Beach Bound: Fifty-nine percent of travelers are planning a beach vacation this coming year, up from 52 percent when TripAdvisor asked travelers in May.
Breaking the Bank: Although 86 percent of travelers said budget was an important consideration when making vacation plans last year, 46 percent of respondents said they spent beyond their travel budget.
Packed to the Gills: Sixty-four percent of travelers have bought or brought an additional piece of luggage, just to pack the items they purchased on vacation for the return trip home.
Terrorism Matters, Fuel Not So Much: Sixty-one percent of travelers consider the threat of terrorism an important factor when choosing where to go on their next vacation, up from 52 percent last year. Twenty-five percent of travelers (and 29 percent of Americans) now consider the cost of fuel important when choosing where to go on vacation.
More Info:
Adirondack State Park – Reviews – Wow, what can I say, 2 reviews. Opportunity? Check out who’s listed as the contact…my pal Andy!!
No Comments so far ↓
There are no comments yet...