Trip Advisor is now partnering with Facebook, and has a great new tool, “Trip Friends.” The purpose is to let friends consult each other before traveling to a new place. Below you can see our travel map, of locations we have been. We will consult our team, and update the map regularly. If you want to be our friend on Facebook, click here.
The recovery is real, as we reported in our last update in Hospitality Innsights. Double-dip recession fears are just that – “fears.” It has become clear to forecasters that the bearish predictions for 2010 were a bit over the top. On a macro basis, gross domestic product grew 3 percent in the first quarter of 2010, down from the nearly six percent growth in Q4 of 2009. This growth seems to be more sustainable, and unemployment levels seem to inching back, albeit at a slower pace than all of us would like to see.
Tourism spending rose at an annual rate of 3.9 percent during the first quarter, led by increased spending on hotels and other accommodations, according to The Bureau of Economic Analysis. The increase is significant when compared with a 1.5 percent drop during the fourth quarter of 2009. Spending on hotels and other accommodations rose at an annual rate of 11 percent in the first quarter, after falling at a rate of 7.9 percent in the fourth quarter. The BEA said accommodations were the largest contributor to the growth in travel and tourism spending.
Read More About Economic Forecast ~ July 2010
