Travellers to spend more in ’09 despite economic gloom

“It’s encouraging that despite the economic climate, Indian travellers are still planning leisure travel in the next year,” said Sharat Dhall, managing director, for TripAdvisor India. “Additionally, travellers are getting greener, and plan to be more environmentally-conscious about their travel decisions in the next year.”

Following are the highlights of the annual travel trends survey:

Travel Budgets

Twenty-nine per cent of worldwide travellers are likely to take three holidays in the next year. Fifty-two per cent of the respondents said they have spent more than budgeted for leisure travelling in the past 12 months.

Environmentally Sound

Thirty-four per cent of worldwide respondents said they would like to be more environmentally conscious during their travel in the coming year.

Mobiles and Wi-Fi

Eighty-one per cent of worldwide travellers think that mobile phones should be banned on flights. Sixty-two per cent of worldwide travellers want wireless internet access on airlines.

Keep the cell phone away

Sixteen per cent of travellers surveyed think talking loudly on the cell phone is the most annoying traveller faux pas while thirty-one per cent felt children kicking their seat back is most irksome. Seventy-three per cent of the respondents think families with young children should sit in their own section of an airplane.

Top Airlines

The favourite airlines for worldwide respondents are British Airways; Singapore Airlines and Air France. These airlines were the favourites among travellers because of their friendly and helpful staff, comfortable seats and good on-time arrival and departure record.

Historical Inclination

Thirty-eight per cent of worldwide travellers would travel to United States for their holidays. Sixty-four per cent of the travellers prefer city sight seeing in a new place , with beaches being a close second favourite among worldwide travellers with 63 per cent. Fifty-six per cent of worldwide of travellers are very likely to visit historical sites in the next year.

Holiday Nightmare

Thirty per cent of worldwide travellers had their worst holiday experience because of dirty toilets in their hotel rooms.

TRAVEL TITBITS

* Nineteen per cent of worldwide travellers have taken items from a hotel, such as towels, silverware, or decorative pieces

* Fifty per cent of the worldwide travellers tend to wash their hands more often than they usually do.

* Thirty-one per cent of worldwide travellers take less than one day to unwind on vacation

TripAdvisor TravelCast Top Ten World Destinations for 2009

1. Budoni, Sardinia

2. Agia Galini, Crete

3. Petra, Jordan

4. Ardmore, Ireland

5. Peschiera del Garda, Italy

6. Protaras, Cyprus

7. Torre del Mar, Spain

8. Hanioti, Greece

9. Wadduwa, Sri Lanka

10. Goslar, Germany