Global business and leisure domestic travel dominate our hotel consulting services picks for the news to follow this week. On the growth side is China and India leading the business recovery while on the downside is the domestic Labor Day weekend here in the USA. Here are the main highlights of what to expect: Double Digits for China and India – “Global business travel this year will jump 9.2 percent and surpass $1 trillion, according to a Global Business Travel Association Foundation study. That increase would follow an 8.4 percent bump during 2010, which more than offset a nearly 8 percent decline in 2009.” – “The two-speed economic recovery is mirrored in the recovery of global business travel,” according to the report’s authors, who noted double-digit percentage growth in China and India, and 5 percent or less for the United States and large European countries, including those dragged down by sovereign debt troubles. “The two-speed nature of the global recovery will result in a dramatic divergence of business travel industry growth around the world. This will exacerbate the already-shifting global business travel market shares.” Those in hotel consulting services internationally should note the business demand in particular at Chinese destinations. USA Labor Day Travel Down – “High unemployment, expensive gasoline, higher hotel room rates and the hassles of securing a seat on packed planes are giving travelers pause this year at a time families typically squeeze in one last getaway, experts say.” – “The number of Americans who will travel at least 50 miles from home this holiday weekend will fall 2.4% to about 31.5 million, the auto club AAA estimates. Driving is how most Americans who are traveling will get away, AAA says. But gasoline averaged $3.62 a gallon nationally on Wednesday, about $1 more than last year.” Resort management services groups must watch for these dips that could affect quarterly investor forecasts. Need other news and commentary about the hospitality industry? Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and follow timely stories from experts on hotel management and more. Have other news that will benefit our hotel consulting services clients and readers? Feel free to share it here. Or, send us a synopsis and we will consider it for a future article with credits to you and your company.
