Travel trends in 2015: more millennials, cheap European fares, frequent flier …
2015 will bring changes on airplanes, aboard cruise ships and in hotels, and South Florida is expected to benefit.
Travel trends will include more millennial and business travel, more river cruises, increased mobile usage, and longer and higher-priced hotel stays.
If you’re planning to travel in 2015, consider these insights:
Air travel
Cheap airfares to Europe are in the cards, courtesy of lower fuel prices, airfare specialists predict.
Several carriers offer nonstop flights to European cities from the Fort Lauderdale and Miami international airports, and some will add routes this year.
“This year with fuel prices down, the one bargain that we’re likely to see is international flying, and prices for international flying come down,” Rick Seaney, co-founder of travel website FareCompare.com, said in a recent podcast.
For European travel, the cheapest days to fly will be March 12, May 15 and Aug. 23, key dates before seasonal prices take effect, Seaney said. Airfares departing on the March and May days are about 15 percent to 30 percent cheaper that those that immediately follow, while Aug. 23 marks the end of peak summer prices, he said.
For Spring Break, although airfares tend to increase sharply, travelers can still snag deals by flying on Tuesday of the spring break week and returning on Saturday, Seaney said. By avoiding weekend-to-weekend flights, you can save up to 50 percent or more.
As for summer, the best airfare bargains will be found if you fly up to the first week in June or after the third week in August, Seaney advised. But whatever the date, travelers should buy their tickets no later than 30 days before departure.
Hot destinations
Toronto, New Orleans are among North American favorites this year and China for international travel, while Asheville, N.C., makes it into the top five for laid-back, smaller American cities, according to travel website Orbitz.com.
One upside for South Floridians is that low-cost carriers like Spirit added flights last year, some to hot spots like New Orleans and Asheville.
Spirit’s once-daily nonstop service between Fort Lauderdale and New Orleans launched in August, while Allegiant Air added a flight from West Palm Beach to Asheville in May. Allegiant already served Asheville from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
“Spirit is growing rather aggressively again at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood after a few years of focusing its growth elsewhere such as in Dallas,” said Seth Kaplan, managing partner of Airline Weekly, a Fort Lauderdale-based publication. “Lately they’ve been very aggressive against JetBlue, and Fort Lauderdale is a key battleground in that war, and that’s good for consumers.”
Airline rewards
If you plan to parlay airline miles into free or discounted travel rewards, you may be surprised by changes some airlines made to frequent flier programs in 2014.
For consumers, the biggest changes are occurring at Delta and United, which will now grant awards based on how much travelers spend rather than how far they fly, Kaplan said. Southwest, JetBlue and Virgin America are already doing this, he said.
The changes will result in most travelers accumulating fewer miles, and those that spend the most, by purchasing first-class tickets, for example, will earn more than before, Kaplan said. “Airline loyalty programs have become somewhat less generous to the average traveler than was the case in previous decades.”
Cruising
More people will explore cruising as a vacation option in 2015, according to trade group Cruise Lines International Associations, which represents the world’s leading cruise lines including Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian.
In 2014, some 21.7 million consumers globally were forecast to take a cruise, the majority from North America, according to CLIA.
The Washington, D.C.-based trade group will officially announce its 2015 cruise forecast and key industry trends on Jan. 27.
European river cruising will continue to blossom in 2015 as more travelers seek to experience an authentic Europe while only unpacking once, said Vicky Garcia, chief operating officer and co-owner of Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative in Coral Springs.
“The smaller river cruise ships allow travelers to get close to the city centers in Europe,” Garcia said.
Others see similar trends.
“River cruises have been in huge demand, and we’ve seen year-over-year growth of about 30 percent,” said Peter Friedman, a luxury travel specialist at Unique Travel of Palm Beach Inc. in Delray Beach.
Arlene Satchell Key marketing plans and tools for 2015 unveiled Thursday Key marketing plans and tools for 2015 unveiled Thursday ( Arlene Satchell ) –>
He’s also anticipating higher demand for trips to South America, South Africa, Asia and within the U.S. as travelers avoid trouble spots in Europe.
“Europe is going to get hurt to some degree,” Friedman said.
Hotels
U.S. hotels should be fuller in 2015 and at higher rates, according to industry trackers STR and Tourism Economics.
Nationwide, hotel occupancy is expected to jump 1.1 percent to 65.1 percent, while the average daily rate will increase 5 percent to $121.37, the outfits predicted.
And South Florida hotels are poised to get their share.
“We expect continued rise in occupancy and rate as we see increasing demand exceeding the new supply [of rooms],” said Bob Diener, a Miami-based industry veteran who’s president of hotel booking website GetARoom.com.
Both Fort Lauderdale and Miami are in its top 10 markets for hotels being booked now for 2015, Diener said. “Cold weather is helping demand from air travelers, and lower gas prices are increasing demand for those driving in.”
To snag hotel deals in 2015, Diener says travelers should book rooms 14 to 21 days in advance or more; stay weekdays rather than weekends as these tend to be cheaper, particularly at beach hotels; and take advantage of flash sales that offer lower rates for a limited time.
Millennials
Millennial travelers, especially those aged 18 to 34 years, have a greater desire to travel in 2015 than their older counterparts, according to findings of a recent Hotwire.com survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults. And 70 percent of these younger adults are more likely to have budgeted money for annual travel than those ages 45 and over.
South Florida tourism officials are launching marketing programs to attract more millennials, and some hotels are also making property improvements to better cater to them.
“Millennial travelers are impacting the travel industry in a big way, particularly given their overall excitement and interest in taking more trips,” said Henrik Kjellberg, president of the Hotwire Group, in a statement.
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