Voluntourism as a Honeymoon Option?

Interesting article about honeymoons and voluntourism – it seems to be a growing trend, are you finding that with your company? Is it possibly a market you should considering targeting?

http://www.dailycamera.com/lifestyles/ci_13271856

(and yes I admit this is a shameless plug for an article I helped with, but on a FAM this week and no time to write a real post =)

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To Have and To Hold – and to Help

Many newlyweds opt for candles, champagne toasts and rose-petal-covered beds, but Meghan Courtney and Rich Shaner had a different idea of romance.

Their honeymoon was a little dirty. And sweaty. And exhausting. And not at all what you’re thinking.

Courtney and Shaner, who were married Aug. 1 in Pennsylvania, honeymooned in Boulder to help build a house with the Flatirons Habitat for Humanity.

“We wanted something other than the standard Hawaii trip, a different take on the honeymoon,” Courtney said. “They had some pretty elaborate honeyteering trips abroad, but they were too extreme for us, so we looked to create our own and give back.”

Honeyteering. That’s the media-coined phrase for volunteer honeymoons — lumped in with another word fusion: voluntourism.

Despite the economy and its gloomy tourism numbers, voluntourism is still booming, according to the State of the Volunteer Travel Industry survey by Littleton-based Lasso Communications. In fact, 61 percent of travel companies surveyed said they expected to send more volunteers abroad this year than last, and 16 percent expected the same amount.

About 9 percent of these people travel with their partner, according to another study, Volunteer Travel Insights 2009 by GeckoGo.

Not many. Yet one of the greatest complaints about volunteer vacations is that people get lonely and want someone to decompress with, the studies found. Not to mention, the GeckoGo study found that 99 percent of participants thought their trip was meaningful or very meaningful. Some respondents said it was the best experience of their lives.

Sharing that with your new life partner can deepen the relationship, advocates say.

Alexia Nestoria, of Littleton, is a consultant for the volunteer travel industry who writes the blog voluntourismgal.com.

She attributes the volunteerism growth to an extension of the green movement; a weak job market that has pushed graduates to look for alternate kinds of experience; and layoffs that have left Americans with more time on their hands.

“I think honeymoons are changing, to be honest. It’s no longer a booze cruise or lying on the beach,” Nestoria said. “Budgets are tighter, and people want every dollar to count.”

Plus, the generation that is getting married right now is more aware of the need to help. They are savvy travelers who ask questions and want to know where their dollars are going.

http://www.dailycamera.com/lifestyles/ci_13271856

Outdoor Industry Association Survey Reveals Industry Cautious About Economic Recovery

Boulder, CO, – In a survey released June 1, 2009, by Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), small businesses reported they have lowered revenue expectations, reduced inventory levels, and believe their businesses will rebound later than they expected last fall.

OIA, in conjunction with Piper Jaffray Companies, recently surveyed industry executives with respect to their view of current economic prospects, recovery timeline, cost inflation, and the effect of tightened credit market on near-term business operations.  Results of that survey are now available in a new report entitled, The Piper Jaffray Outdoor Industry Survey.

This was the second survey conducted by OIA and Piper Jaffray in the past six months, and reflected a cautious and realistic picture of the economic situation facing the industry.

Nearly all respondents were independent businesses with revenues less than $50M annually, which provides an excellent gauge of the independent channel within the outdoor community.  The majority of respondents identified themselves as either vendors or retailers.

Among the highlights:
* Concern has grown:  When asked to indicate the level of concern surrounding current economic conditions affecting their business, 98% indicated they are “very” or “somewhat” concerned, up three percentage points from last fall.  The level of concern was higher with vendors, where 49% signaled they are “very concerned” versus 36% of retailers.  This is a marked increase in the past six months.
* Recovery expectations pushed back: Last fall, the majority of respondents said they expected the recovery to come in late 2009.  Nearly half said they believed business would turn in the second half of 2009 and 35% viewed the first half of 2010 as the inflection point.  However, based on the results of this more recent survey, that was an optimistic view.  Now, only 15% believe the recovery will take place this year.  Nearly fifty percent believe the economy will improve in the first half of 2010, one-fourth say the second half of 2010, and 15% believe it will not improve until after 2010.
* Vendors and Retailers are in sync:  Last fall, retailers were far more optimistic than vendors about the pace of economic recovery.  That disparity has dissipated in this survey with both vendors and retailers having similar perceptions about recovery expectations.  This more balanced view is leading to appropriate inventory levels in the channel, which should also lead to improved profitability and pricing integrity as revenues stabilize.
* Businesses prepared for slow-down:  Revenue expectations for 2009 have declined since last fall.  In the fall survey, more than three-quarters of respondents projected revenues in 2009 would be above 2008.  Now, only about one-third expect 2009 revenue to top 2008 and nearly one-fourth expect revenues to decrease significantly.
* Looking Back:  The majority of respondents indicated revenues were down over the last three months vs. the prior year.  This issue hit retailers harder than vendors, with a majority of retailers saying revenues were down and just over one-third of vendors registering a decline in revenues.
* Looking Ahead:  In general, expectations are higher for the next three months, with just under half of respondents expecting revenues to continue declining over the next three months.  Overall, we believe a slightly negative outlook on revenues is prudent given that the second quarter of last year was impacted by the federal stimulus package, the personal savings rate is now higher, and the current unemployment rate is higher than in the past.
* Lower sourcing costs:  Cost inflation concerns have declined since our last survey as the price of commodities and excess capacity has driven production costs lower.
* Inventory reductions on tap:  In response to these economic shifts, respondents report that they have taken appropriate steps in terms of inventory reductions.  More than one-half of all businesses are planning inventory levels below last year.  Inventory growth below the rate of future sales trends is critical in the current environment to help maintain profitability and keep price integrity.
* Stabilization in the credit markets:  There are some encouraging signs in the credit markets with interest rates at historically how levels and some company’s now accessing the market for liquidity.  More than three-quarters of all respondents observed no change in their ability to access capital with only a few expressing increased access to capital and 15% seeing a decrease in access to capital.

“This survey reveals that our smaller companies are taking appropriate steps to weather the economic storm,” said Frank Hugelmeyer, OIA President & CEO.  “These companies are critical components for our entire industry, and they have made appropriate changes that may accelerate the recovery timeline.”

As the report concludes, “In short, respondents maintain a realistic view of current business trends, sourcing costs, and inventory reductions which should benefit future profitability if sales trends remain stable or improve.  While revenue declines are prevalent throughout the sector, for both retailers and vendors, we believe employment reductions; cheaper goods and fewer markdowns will stabilize margins in the second half of the year.”

A copy of the full report, as well as all OIA research is available to members at www.outdoorindustry.org.

About Outdoor Industry Association

Outdoor Industry Association® (OIA) is a national trade association whose mission is to ensure the growth and success of the outdoor industry. OIA provides trade services for over 4000 manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, sales representatives and retailers in the outdoor industry. OIA programs include representation in government/legislative affairs, market and social research, business-to-business services and youth outreach initiatives. Educational events include the annual Rendezvous®, Outdoor University®, and the Capitol Summit. Outdoor Industry Association is based in Boulder, Colorado, and is the title sponsor of the Outdoor Retailer tradeshows. For more information go to www.outdoorindustry.org or call 303.444.3353.

US Traveler Trends from PhoCus Wright

A new survey came out on US Traveler Trends from PhoCusWright – have a look at some tidbits below and to view the whole press releases click here.

One thing I found interesting is that their study shows 18-34yo are significantly more likely to travel this year (the segment most likely to volunteer abroad), which supports the Lasso survey that voluntourism is growing.

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Top U.S. Traveler Trends

Move over boomers—Generation Y has come of age

Twenty-five to 34 year olds are spending the most per household on travel and 18-34 year olds are significantly more likely than older age groups to indicate that they plan to travel more this year.

While boomers are commonly described as the wealthiest generation, the 45-64 age group is spending the least per household on travel and is also the most likely to reduce travel spend this year.

Consumers who spend more than average on travel are more likely to reduce travel expenditure this year, and those that spend less than average are more likely to actually increase travel expenditure this year. The result of this mixed bag of intentions is that overall expenditure will decline considerably across the board, but budget brands will experience a smaller decline than upscale brands.

Online travel agencies will fare better than other channels

Though the majority of travelers typically book online, there is still plenty of opportunity to grow online transactions. Consumers that spend the most on travel still use a mix of online and offline methods.

Travel search engines are (finally) making a mainstream impact

State of the Volunteer Travel Industry Survey – Results!

First of all, thank you to all the companies that willingly participated in this survey and joined forces to help us all get an accurate depiction of the state of the industry. Below is a rough draft of the survey results, there are formatting changes and grammatical corrections that will be made before this goes out to the media but I wanted to be sure that I got you all the results as quickly as possible.

Thank you all again for your help – I realize this isn’t academic quality research but I felt that an accurate pulse of the industry was necessary and this basic survey seemed the best method with limited resources. All suggestions and comments welcome!

State of the Volunteer Travel Industry

(If you can’t open the link then email me and I’ll send you the PDF – technology isn’t my strong suit.)

Volunteer Travel Insight Study Released!

We just finished a study from the consumer side of volunteer travel/voluntourism in conjunction with GeckoGo and Bradt Guides – check it out!

Review the study

Gap Year Travel Sector Fuelled by Recession

Good news from Travel Mole for those catering to gap year travelers, hope everyone had a great holiday!

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As recession hits the travel industry hard, a ray of light is shining in the Gap Year travel sector with records broken and positive forecasts for 2009.

Gap Year is the term given to young people in Britain who take time out between school and university, or university and full-time work, and has been broadened to take in young people having a break between jobs, even retirees seeking a lasting experience.

Growth is particularly noticeable amongst recently made redundant young professionals leaving the UK to backpack around the world.

The most popular destination is Australia, which offers a two year Working Holiday Visa to UK residents under 31. One of the least affected economies where the recruitment market is still buoyant; trips Down Under are proving to be very attractive.

The Australian Department of Immigration & Citizenship stats for Working Holiday Visas show a Q3 rise year on year by 21 percent.

Natalie Crowhurst, 25, from Bournemouth has recently been made redundant from her firm of solicitors. She is leaving in January for a six to 12 month around the world trip.

“I’m taking the opportunity to travel around the world as it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. Sure, the circumstances could be better and I’m a little worried about finding work when I get back, but this is an opportunity that I might not get again. So I can’t wait,” she said.

Tom Griffiths, founder of Gapyear.com says, “It’s little surprise that this recession is fuelling the gap year travel sector as we are a “life transition” travel industry, which services people looking for things to do in between life stages, be it before, during or after university, in between jobs or around retirement.

To read the full article visit: http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1133782.php?mpnlog=1

Adventure Industry Research Roundup Released

Xola Consulting has released their 2008 Adventure Industry Roundup, to buy the full version click here – below are a few notes from the executive summary that are really interesting for our market.

Traveler Trends
A new crop of adventure travelers is growing in importance — “GenY” travelers and even younger, the so-called “Millennials” are traveler segments to watch for destination developers and adventure travel tour operators. In 2008 Xola’s Natasha Martin conducted primary survey research to better understand the preferences and attitudes of youth who consider themselves adventure travelers. Key findings from Xola’s research indicate that GenY adventure travelers:

• Are driven by a destination priority over a budget concern: 82% determine destination first, then worry about budget;
• Travel with a specific purpose to explore and engage with other cultures: they indicate motivations which are consistent with those of Baby Boomer adventure travelers;

The adventure travel community should expect to see accelerated growth of social networks dedicated to adventure tourism in the coming months. Already some tour operators are embracing these concepts on their websites, and online adventure travel information sites are emphasizing networking in their operations.

TRAVELER USE OF TECHNOLOGY
The use of technology in general is growing relative to tourism, not only the Internet but also wireless communications while traveling is becoming important to travelers.

The Internet continues to shift power from service providers to travelers, pushing the travel industry to become much more market-sensitive, responding to consumer price expectations and other factors. In fact, Forrester Research predicts that travel will remain the number one on-line retail category and grow to $119 billion by 2010.

ADVENTURE TRAVEL MEDIA TRENDS
Half of all travel media users (50%) say that they read, watch or listen to travel media at least once a month or once a week. About one-third (31%) of travelers have decided to visit a travel destination because of information that they saw or read in the travel media.

• In spite of the generally pessimistic outlook for travel and tourism this year, we have had reports from several adventure travel media sources that they are not seeing any slowdown in travel ad spending to date. Bryan Kinkade, Director, Travel & Tourism, National Geographic Adventure, stated in a July, 2008: “As it looks now, 2008 will be another record year for the ad travel category at National Geographic Adventure as more and more destinations and travel providers are identifying adventure travel as a vibrant growth and recession-resistant sector. Our readers view their adventure travel vacations as an absolute right — and while there might be some tightening in other areas of their life, they are not changing their travel plans.”

Key Adventure Company Trends

• Increasing focus on land-based immersion in Africa and East Asia;
• More sea-faring expedition tours to the Arctic, Galapagos and Alaska;
• Taking increased measures to reduce carbon imprint and impact on environment;
• Customizable trips becoming mainstays in catalogs to reach high-end travelers;
• Increase in women-oriented trips, family adventures and theme travel (e.g., culinary tours, wine vacations, gastronomic tours);
• Emergence of “frequent traveler programs” offering discounts and special offers to drive loyalty;
• Expansion in volunteer tourism opportunities; and
• Special advertising and direct marketing to customer databases; special packages to attract middle market travelers most squeezed by current fuel prices.

Economic Downturn & Travel – New Survey Released

US TRAVELERS AFFECTED BY THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN, WHILE INTERNATIONAL TRAVELERS HAVE NOT CHANGED THEIR TRAVEL PLANS SIGNIFICANTLY

Mountain View, December 2, 2008. GeckoGo (http://www.geckogo.com), the fastest growing source of unique travel content, and World Nomads (http://www.worldnomads.com), world leaders in low cost travel insurance, today announced the results of their recent travel survey of 1162 travelers worldwide.

Global consumers are worried about the economy… but are going ahead with their travel plans
While 43% of survey respondents answered that they felt “terrible” about the current economic environment, only 15% have canceled their trips.  Fifty-one percent of travelers plan to fly the same amount this holiday season, with 22% planning to travel more than last year.

Americans worried by economy more than rest of world… travel plans affected to a higher degree
68% of Americans felt “terrible” about the current economic environment, and 22% have canceled their trips.   40% of Americans plan to fly less this holiday season, and 44% plan to spend less money on their next vacation.

Travel insurance is considered a necessity by many and is the least affected by the economy
In fact, 10% of respondents are more likely to purchase travel insurance due to the economic situation.  Only 7% of respondents would cut travel insurance before other expenses such as accommodation, activities, trip length, and food.    Sixty-three percent of consumers purchase travel insurance at least sometimes when they travel, and 32% purchase it all the time.  42% consider emergency medical and dental coverage to be the most important reason for purchasing travel insurance.

Travelers will cut back on accommodations first
27% said they would reduce accommodation spending first, with 24% saving by staying in more modest accommodations.

Most are still traveling but are looking for additional cost saving measures
30% will spend more time travel planning as a means of saving money, while 31% plan to travel during off-peak season.  Fifty-one percent of Americans say “looking for travel deals” is a key way to save money.

Holidays are for family time
Sixty-six percent of respondents usually visit their relatives over the holiday season, with 70% planning to see their relatives the same amount as last year, and another 13% more than last year.

Spending plans stay the same for majority
Sixty-eight percent of all respondents plan to spend at least the same amount on their next vacation, compared to 46% of Americans.

Money-saving travel tips from GeckoGo travelers

• Ask locals for shopping tips
• Eat where the locals eat
• Use public transportation
• Stay at a hotel that includes complimentary breakfast
• Stay 2-3 days in one place to get better accommodation rates
• Splurge at lunch, go light during dinner meals