NEW YORK -- American travelers have become more resilient
and are less likely to change travel plans in the face of terrorism, natural
disasters or other travel disruptors, executives said at the New York Times
Travel Show at the Javits Center here.
Travel industry leaders on several panels at the show
discussed the trend of resilience, evidenced by a strong 2017 leading into what
they forecast will be an even stronger year in 2018.
During a panel focusing on tours, Tauck president Jennifer
Tombaugh said her company enjoyed its strongest advanced booking year to date.
She attributed that in part to the economy.
"There is resilience with a capital R -- all capital
letters across the board," she said. "We see, whether it's been a
natural disaster or a terrorism event or just overall economic disruption that
all of our guests are rebounding much, much more quickly than they did in the
past."
In scenario planning, Tombaugh said Tauck used to plan for
up to 12 months for tourism to recover to an area that suffered from some kind
of travel disruptor. Now, that's down to three months.
"For better or for worse, there is a resilience about
the American traveler that we haven't seen in a long time," she said. "I
think we're sort of redefining what uncertainty means, and I'm not quite sure
if that word even resonates for people even more. I think they're saying, 'The
world is crazy. Life is short. Let's go out and explore.'"
According to Tombaugh, consumers are also booking further
out -- 12 to 18 months in advance, in some cases -- also evidence that
travelers are willing to plan in advance despite world events that might
happen.
Avanti Destinations is also experiencing longer booking
windows, according to president Harry Dalgaard.
Scott Wiseman, president of Travel Impressions, said agents
were one of the factors behind that new-found resilience.
"Those that are working with travel agents are getting
the truth of what's going on behind different state department warnings and
what's the real status on the islands, what's coming back after the hurricanes,"
he said.
The topic again came up during the show's keynote panel,
moderated by travel journalist James Shillinglaw and featuring Ninan Chacko,
CEO of Travel Leaders Group; Alejandro Zozaya, CEO of Apple Leisure Group; Andy
Stuart, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line; Guy Young, global brand
engagement officer of the Travel Corporation; and Tombaugh.
"When we had those events in London last summer, within
48 hours we were back to normal booking patterns," Young said, referencing
several terrorist incidents in the city.
That kind of recovery depends on the magnitude of an
incident and how a country responds to it from both public relations and
security perspectives, he said, but booking pattern recovery is happening at a
more rapid pace.
"There are so many shoes that are dropping constantly
that people are just getting up and going," Tombaugh said. "I do
think there's a new normal out there. I think uncertainty is being completely
redefined, and the traveler is saying we're going to go."
Zozaya also pointed to agents as a source of information for
travelers, arming them with facts to make informed travel decisions.
Chacko agreed.
"They're really in an ideal position, I think, to
address the concerns and friction that would-be travelers would have," he
said.