People all over the world are ready to move on from the recession. They're ready to get back out there and take a much needed vacation. Not only that, but a new survey found that travelers are getting more confident in their spending and are ready to splurge on upcoming trips.
Wyndham Hotel Group, the world's largest hotel company with over 7,150 hotels, found that travelers have an increased budget for their vacations this year. The Group surveyed 5,600 adults in big cities in the U.S., Brazil, Canada, China, and the U.K., to better understand the spending habits of their guests, and they found that travelers are ready to drop more money on their vacations this year.
The survey showed that 70 percent of travelers are ready to spend the same amount or more on vacation than they did last year. Of the 70 percent, 35 percent said they will be spending more. The majority of those who said they will spend more are Chinese travelers (66 percent). More than half (52 percent) of U.S. travelers said that they're going to spend money on longer vacations this year.
Aside from hotel fees, travelers plan to spend the most money on entertainment and excursions during their vacations. U.S. trvelers (37 percent), Canadian travelers (36 percent) and Chinese travelers (42 percent) all said they would prefer to use most of their vacation money on entertainment. However 37 percent of U.K. travelers would rather enjoy fine dining on their travels and 40 percent of Brazilian travelers would like to splurge while shopping.
The travelers were also asked about what hotel extras they'll be willing to pay more for. U.S. travelers said they want a hotel in a better location (35 percent), followed by a great view (30 percent) and access to spa facilities (30 percent). Those is Brazil would rather have top customer service (40 percent) and a great breakfast (40 percent), while 45 percent of Chinese travelers want to be able to relax at hotel spa facilities.
Despite having different opinions on how they want to spend their vacation money, there were some similarities among all travelers.The survey found that 34 percent belong to hotel loyalty programs. Of those, 62 percent said the hotel program has a big impact on their hotel choice. Most of those who belong to loyalty programs are the Chinese (50 percent), followed by the U.S. at 40 percent. However only 20 percent of U.K. travelers belong to one of these programs.
Most travelers aren't looking to stay in the fanciest hotels.Nearly half (45 percent) said they'll choose a midscale accomodation over any other. Of those who only travel once or less a year, 28 percent said they would stick with the economy or budget accomodations. Those who travel more often, or at least four times a year would stay in upscale hotels (39 percent).
The travelers were also asked about what types of vacations they're looking to take this year. A majority (40 percent) want to visit a major theme park, while 40 percent want a vacation that focuses on shopping and 37 percent want an adventure-filled trip. The least amount of respondents said their trip will revolve around mountain climbing or skiing.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
