VALDOSTA — “For those who have waited to travel or want to travel in the future, now is the perfect time to make those reservations because suppliers are in a great need of travelers, and rates are exceptionally good right now,” said Jane Shelton, president and travel consultant at South Georgia Travel.
The recession has affected the travel industry this year as people are spending less on travel rather than fewer people traveling, Shelton said. Some of them, for example, shorten their vacations from 10 to seven days, or from seven to five. However, more people are beginning to make reservations.
“I believe this will continue throughout the rest of the year as people begin to feel better about the economy, in general,” she said.
Jared Broomberg, owner of Executive Travel, said that he has noticed that fewer people travel now due to the economic situation, and they may not go away for as long or spend as much as they have in previous years.
“But people still want or need to get away,” he said.
Shelton said that there are two trends in the travel industry — the “wait and see” mode is where people wait and make last-minute bookings, and the “plan ahead” mode where people book their vacation in advance and make payments on their vacation plan throughout the year. This method is similar to a lay-away plan.
“Booking through a travel agent allows this flexibility,” she said. “Once the economy starts picking back up, rates will also rise, so booking earlier — even if you have to do a payment plan — is definitely the way to go.”
“Booking early” means eight months to a year in advance, Shelton said.
Both she and Broomberg said this year people are more likely to do last-minute reservations.
As far as the all-inclusive vacations, they said these types of vacations are very popular among the travelers. They are mostly found in the Caribbean, while the popular destinations for cruises are Alaska, Hawaii and Europe, Shelton said.
“People like the idea of a vacation being completely paid for before they even leave home and not being nickled and dimed to death once they get to the resort,” Broomberg said.
Shelton said that more people travel to Europe now due to the better exchange rate and better airfare, and, to Broomberg, the Europe bookings are about the same this year. Cruises are the best value now, he said.
Despite the recession, people still prefer quality over price for their travel experience.
“I would say that the common denominator is value,” Broomberg said. “That doesn’t equate to cheap, but they do want to feel they are getting a good value for the money they are spending.”
Shelton has noticed the same pattern among tourists.
“Believe it or not, most people are looking for amenities over price,” she said. “Smart travelers have determined that ‘value’ is better than ‘price,’ and that you get what you pay for.”
This year’s hot spots are the Mediterranean, Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, and the Caribbean, Shelton said.
“If you have any money to travel, now is the time to do so,” she said. “It will be a long time before we see rates this low again.”
Business
Related Photos
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South Georgia Travel president & travel consultant Jane Shelton is shown.
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A sampling of travel pamphlets at South Georgia Travel.
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Dena Rockey explains travel options Friday at Executive Travel Services located at 3338-E2 Country Club Road.
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South Georgia Travel president & travel consultant Jane Shelton, right, reviews a clients vacation plans with travel consultant Debi Saeger Friday.
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