Top Travel Trends for 2005

Quite a few small businesses are involved in tourism or depend on travel for significant revenues. Think bed-and-breakfasts, small wineries, franchisee motels, tour guides, rental condos, bus and charter jet companies, restaurants, boat charters, taxi services, and so on.



So we thought it would be useful to review the top 5 trends in travel for 2005. This article by the Mercury News outlines them:

Togethering - This trend is about people taking vacations together or going on trips in groups.

"There's definitely a trend toward people wanting to travel with the entire family, including Grandma and Grandpa," said Chris McGinnis, travel adviser for CNN Headline News. "You see that in multiple-room bookings on cruises, or people renting a villa in Europe instead of a hotel room. People want to have experiences with their families; that's what travel is all about now."

Mediterranean cruises - Americans are beginning to go back to Europe for travel. But with the weak American dollar, they are opting for cruises because the prices are fixed. Cruises are a good value for European travel during these times.

Short trips -travelers are taking shorter trips. As the article notes, we dare not imagine what our email boxes would look like after a two-week trip (I can commiserate). The thought of coming back after a long weekend is more bearable.

Edutravel - People are going to places where they can also learn something -- whether about the local history, or fine cuisine.

Big U.S. cities - Big cities are drawing interest as travel destinations. New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta -- all are popular destinations for 2005. New York, especially, has made a complete turnaround from its post September 11 slump.

Editor's Note: This is the seventh in our series of articles on 2005 trends predictions. We are comparing and contrasting trends predictions from different sources that will impact the small business market in 2005 and beyond. Here is our running list of trend prediction posts:

Anti-Trending and Other Trends for 2005

Entrepreneur's Top Trends for 2005

Small Business is Itself a Trend

Top Technology Trends for 2005

Top Global Consumer Trends

Inc.'s Trends for Entrepreneurs in 2005