August 2006 Travel Newsletter

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Canadian travel news

Summer travelers are procrastinating
According to a new travel study although one-third of Internet travel researchers plan to travel more this summer than they did last summer, they are waiting right up until the last minute to book their plans.
A range of factors from pricing pressures (such as gas and airline costs) to travel concerns (such as security and weather-related fears) have led to delayed bookings.
Additional key findings from the study include:

• Summer travelers depend on the Internet: Two-thirds of consumers prefer researching travel options online, surpassing the importance of recommendations from friends and family as well as other forms of media. The Internet is also the preferred booking channel: among consumers with summer travel remaining to be purchased, nearly 75% will reserve most or all of their travel online.
• 72% of bookings will come from procrastinating and undecided travelers: Undecided travelers make up 48% of in-market summer travelers who will wait to book largely due to indecision about when or where they will travel.
• Payday hopefuls and price-hold outs are more likely to travel locally: Payday hopefuls, 15% of the in-market summer travelers, do not yet have the money to book their travel. They are more likely to travel locally due to high gas prices. Price-hold outs comprise 9% of summer travelers and will wait for prices to drop later in the summer. They are more likely to stay close to home due to high airline prices.

Canadian RevPAR
Latest lodging report (week ending July 29th) from the Canadian hotel industry showing 'revenue per available room' (RevPAR).

Notes:
RevPAR is typically defined as room revenue divided by rooms available.
% change reflects the change from the previous week

Top 5 Islands in Continental U.S. and Canada
As recently voted by readers of Travel & Leisure Magazine: (Previous ranking and 2006 score in brackets)

1. (3) Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia (85.97)
2. (2) Mount Desert Island, Maine (84.90)
3. (1) Vancouver Island, B.C. (83.96)
4. (4) Prince Edward Island (82.04)
5. (5) San Juan Islands, Washington (78.93)

International travel news

Average daily lodging rates rise 6.8% in U.S.
Happy news for hoteliers in the U.S.; bad tidings for travelers.
Stats are in for the first half of 2006, and rates continued their rise. The average daily rate at U.S. lodgings was US$96.56, up 6.8% from the first six months of 2005.
Average occupancy was up 2.1%, to 63.5%.
The luxury segment had the largest rate increases: from US$249.28 to US$271.68.

Quirkiest hotels in the world
TripAdvisor recently announced the top 5 quirkiest hotels from around the globe, according to traveler popularity and TripAdvisor editors.

1. Have an ice stay: Ice Hotel Quebec, Québec
   Breathtaking hotel made of ice, features an ice chapel, theme suites, an ice bar and an art gallery. The "icetablishment" is only open from January to April; just don't forget your parka and long johns.
2. Jail House Rock: Malmaison Oxford Castle, England
   The first U.K. prison to be converted into a hotel, rest assured the property was renovated to ensure for more comfortable accommodations.
3. Smooth Sailing: Imperial Boat House, Ko Samui, Thailand
   34 authentic teakwood rice barges converted into land-locked luxury suites with beach-front and boat-shaped pool.
4. Entertainment extravaganza: Fantasyland Hotel & Resort, Edmonton, Alberta
   With over-the-top fixtures and themed rooms it boasts a 217,800 square-foot indoor water park, an indoor ice rink, indoor golf and indoor roller coaster ride.
5. Tree-Top Tableau: Ariau Amazon Towers Hotel, Manaus, Brazil
   Set 70 feet up into the tree-tops of the Amazon with catwalks connecting the entire complex. Activities include a jungle walk, swimming with dolphins and even piranha fishing.

Internet info

Visitor traffic to holiday homes.canada (www.holidayrentalshomes.com) & For Rent By Owner in Canada (www.FRBO.ca) web sites for the month of July 2005:
Total 'hits' for the month = 162,226 hits (5,233 per day)
Total 'unique visits' for the month = 12,526 (404 per day)
Visitors came from 80+ countries.
For more information, including an independent audit of our site performance, and to view the countries of origin for visitors click here.

Advice for the property owner

Handicap accessibility
With the number of older, well-traveled people increasing around the world, it may make sense to market your vacation property to individuals with disabilities. While disabilities come in different forms and levels of severity, many existing vacation homes can be designated as being handicap accessible..... For complete article click here.

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