Travel Exclusive: Key Trends for the Travel Industry March-April 2008

In the article Domestic Travel Outlook Tempered by Economic Concerns, we learn that Canadians’ vacation plans for destinations within Canada and the United States have dropped, while intentions for overseas travel stayed close to the same level as last year. The reasons? A slowdown in the economies of both the U.S. and Central Canada. Rising gas prices aren’t helping, either.

The news isn’t much better on the second article. The title, Weak Foreign Demand Will Limit Tourism Growth This Year, says it all. Most of the drop can be attributed to the decrease in U.S. travel to Canada. Here, you also find out why the trend of remarkable profit growth seems to be weakening in the accommodations sector and why the air-transportation sector will find limited profits in the near term. Hint: rising costs–especially fuel–and intense competition.