Open Jaw :: On The Town ::

With Martha Chapman
22APR08

The North American Travel Trends panel

“Mojiganga” is the mascot of the state of Guanajuato

Value (such as at all inclusives like Club Maeva) drives us all – not just price

Getting The Low down " Down Mexico Way

"We live in the present, spend money while we have it, and seek luxury."

Wow. That’s the lifestyle for me! That was the message delivered by an auspicious group of North American travel experts at the 33rd Tianguis travel trade show in Acapulco recently.

The group comprised such visionaries as Ray Snisky, president of Mark Travel and Peter Yesawich, pooh-bah of worldwide ad and P.R. agency Yesawich Pepperdine & Brown, who often tells us where we’re going to be traveling before we’ve even opened an atlas.

A big trend is the growth in family and multi-generational travel (grandma comes along). Plus traveling not just as a couple but with your friends, so four or six of you hit the beach at the same time – called “togethering.” Though everyone still loves beaches, the trends are diversifying as we unleash our inner foodie, spa enthusiast or culture vulture.

As one of the few Canucks in the audience, I couldn’t help but think that things look way rosier up here than in the U.S. Did you know that 80% of Americans don’t travel outside U.S. territory? That American consumer confidence is at a 25 year low? And there’s that pesky distraction of an election to keep Americans home, glued to the tube.

One of the most interesting stats was that American holidays to Mexico average four nights – while Canadians average just over 10. It looks like north of the border there’s a sleeping giant known as the Canadian tourist who this year, more than ever, is going be pretty darned appealing to Mexicans from Acapulco to Cozumel.