Sunday, December 16, 2001
European hotels, tourscut prices after Sept. 11
Confirming what many suspected, the European Travel Commission reported in November record discounting by European hotel and tour operators in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. ETC officials said the best prices in more than 15 years are available for packages and tours for travel through March, the traditional off-season for European tourism.
"Traffic is down, and that means airlines and tour operators are competing fiercely to win business," said Einar Gustavsson, U.S. chairman of the 31-nation organization based in New York.
The dollar has maintained its strength against the euro, gaining about 30 percent since the pan-European currency was introduced in 1999, he added. Since Sept. 11, overall trans-Atlantic air traffic has been down about 30 percent from last year, the commission estimated.
Association predictsdrop in U.S. travel
In another report on the travel downturn, the Travel Industry Association of America said it expects that the close of 2001 will see 3.5 percent fewer Americans having traveled this year than last within the United States, and spending will have dropped by 7 percent, or $33 billion. About 13 percent fewer foreigners will have visited than last year, spending $9.2 billion less, according to TIA projections.
For next year, the organization projects a "slight increase" in domestic travel from 2001 but expects spending to be $27.4 billion below that in 2000.