Sunday, February 22, 2009
Party goes on for vacationing students
Cruise lines in general do not market to college students, but that doesn’t stop them from setting sail.
NEW YORK (AP) — College students don’t seem to be planning staycations for spring break.
Bookings to popular beach destinations are strong, according to travel companies, and volunteering vacations continue to gain momentum.
“Typically the student business is more resilient to the economy because it’s like a once-in-a-lifetime trip,” said Jason Chute, director of operations for StudentCity.com. “A lot of times, kids will go no matter what.”
Here’s how students will be spending their break.
INTERNATIONAL BEACHES
Cancun and Jamaica are top destinations for spring breakers, according to Patrick Evans of STA Travel. Some 30,000 revelers are expected to visit the beach spot in Mexico this year. The same number came to Cancun last year, according to Quintana Roo’s Tourism Office.
Also popular is Acapulco, Mexico, according to Chute. Acapulco has some of the hottest nightclubs, and many are open all night, he said.
Scott Schechter, 22, a Boston University senior, said he was looking for that big-party atmosphere. “Generally, when I think of spring break, most of the nice spring break locations that aren’t trans-Atlantic would be in Mexico,” he said. “The idea of traveling outside the country makes it a little more exciting.”
Perhaps because of the economy, more students are choosing the Party Bus this year, said Evans. The bus departs from locations in California, Texas, Arizona and New Mexico, to Mazatlan, Mexico. Prices for the seven-night trip (two nights on the bus), start at $300 per person on StudentCity.com.
Besides Cancun, Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos are the most popular international destinations for people booking through Travelocity, according to Genevieve Shaw Brown, senior editor.
But she said both have slipped in overall popularity from last year, which suggests people are vacationing closer to home.
ADVENTURE
Demand for trips to Asia and Australia is up, according to Atle Skalleberg of StudentUniverse.com. And France, Italy, Spain, and U.K. remain popular too, he said.
“The exchange rate is still not great for Americans, but it is a lot better and that seems to be enough,” he said. “The other reason is we have had some pretty competitive pricing to Europe this year.”
Also popular this spring break are ski trips to Colorado, said Debbie Gibb of the Student and Youth Travel Association.
Jennifer Rudolph, spokesperson for Colorado Ski Country USA, said resorts are offering more creative deals this year because of the economy. Colorado has also experienced near-record snow fall this season.
DOMESTIC
Panama City Beach, Fla. remains a top destination for the college crowd, according to Chute. Once again the beach hosts mtvU’s Spring Break party March 8-21. The beach’s north Florida location makes it accessible for road trips, he said.
Hotel bookings are strong, according to Dan Rowe, president and CEO of the Panama City Beach Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. But he said it’s too early to determine if the economy has had a negative impact, so Panama City Beach is doing some aggressive marketing.
“In addition to college students, the month of April, we’re really gearing our activities and marketing to families,” he said.
The top three spring break destination based on Travelocity bookings are Las Vegas, Orlando and South Florida. Las Vegas was No. 3 last year. Also making the top 10 this year was Washington, D.C. Travelocity does not separate bookings by families and students.
In Vegas, average daily hotel rates are down 28 percent, said Travelocity’s Brown.
Also popular this year are South Beach in Miami and South Padre Island, Texas, according to Gibb.
CRUISES
Cruise lines in general do not market to college students, according to Heidi Allison-Shane, spokesperson for CruiseCompete.com. But that doesn’t stop college kids from setting sail.
Chute said cruises to the Bahamas are popular this year. Spring breakers drive to Fort Lauderdale and take a Discovery cruise ship to Freeport, where they spend four nights. Prices start at $400 per person on StudentCity.com.
Cameron Pittman, 21, a senior at Vanderbilt, said it’s tradition for the seniors in his fraternity to take a cruise. About 25 of them are going to the Caribbean with Norwegian Cruise Line, departing from New Orleans. Other groups on campus are taking the same seven-day cruise, he said.
Pittman has gone to Panama City Beach and Destin, Fla., for previous spring breaks, which he said were “kind of boring.” There’s more to do on a cruise, he said.
“I can’t wait,” he said. “Everybody can’t wait. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
2008, The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.