The American Society of Travel Agents reports that Orlando, Florida has once again been named as the fall’s top hot spot by the 387 members polled for ASTA’s Annual Fall Hot Spots Survey for 1996. Orlando had slipped to second place behind Las Vegas in the Society’s summer survey, but the home to Walt Disney World and Universal Studios Florida has retaken first place. London, the perennial favorite abroad, has once again been named as the most-booked international destination by ASTA members, who book more than 80% of all airline tickets in the United States.
The survey shows that compared with the fall of 1995, 60.7% of the surveyed agents indicated that their bookings this year were up. “Total travel agency sales of airline tickets this year has already increased by more than 4% over the same period last year,” noted Jeanne Epping, president of the Society. “And with all of the recent fare sales available, it is no wonder that agents from across the country are telling us that their bookings and dollar volume are up. Despite all the hoopla about on-line bookings, the evidence clearly shows that Americans are using travel agents now more than ever,” noted Mrs. Epping.
The survey shows that Orlando, followed by Las Vegas, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix, Chicago, Miami, Seattle and Washington were the preferred destinations for U.S. travelers. The top destinations for U.S. outbound travel were London, Paris, Rome, Frankfurt, Cancun, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Sydney, Athens, and Madrid.
ASTA agents named as “up and coming destinations Las Vegas, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and Cancun, Mexico. Costa Rica also ranked first when naming countries, followed by Mexico, Australia and Turkey.
A complete listing of ASTA’s Fall Hot Spots Survey for 1996 is available by contacting Steve Loucks at ASTA Headquarters, 703-739-2782.