DOOM, GLOOM & A BOOM
Apocalyptic predictions spark interest in ‘Mundo Maya’ and other worldly destinations
Two high-profile disasters will be making travel headlines in 2012: the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic on April 15, and the end of the world on Dec. 21 (according to some interpretations of the ancient Maya calendar, any way).
The former is being commemorated with everything from cruises retracing the doomed liner’s route — albeit with a much happier ending — to a flashy new waterfront development in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the city where the ship was built.
The latter is the focus of marketing efforts throughout the “Mundo Maya” — most notably Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras — aimed at convincing sun-seekers and history buffs that what pessimists dub an impending apocalypse is merely the dawn of a new era.
Toss in potential European bargains courtesy of the continent’s financially strapped PIGS (a derogatory acronym referring to Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain) and a slumping euro that just hit its lowest level against the dollar in 16 months, and it’s no wonder “doom and gloom” tourism might be on the upswing this year.
But plenty of other destinations and trends will influence North American travellers’ hard-earned time and money in the months ahead. Among them:
London calling
Still preening after last year’s royal nuptials (the city, like Duchess Catherine, looked radiant), London will host the Summer Olympic Games July 27-Aug. 12. A three-month-long arts festival kicks off June 21, and Hyde Park, Trafalgar Square and Victoria Park will beam live broadcasts of the games on giant outdoor screens for those who don’t have tickets.
The first week in June, meanwhile, Great Britain celebrates The queen’s 60 years on the throne with a Diamond Jubilee.
Hawaii says ‘aloha’ to more flights
With 2012 shaping up as another strong year for tourism to Hawaii, don’t expect a wave of bargains.
But with Hawaiian Airlines launching non-stop service from New York City this summer, Alaska Airlines “ready to expand and dominate” the West Coast market and a big wild card of possible new service via Allegiant Air and/or Southwest, U.S. visitors likely will have more options for getting there, says the dealwatcher blog Beatofhawaii.com.
U.S. celebrations
Elsewhere in the U.S.A., both Arizona (Feb. 14) and New Mexico (earlier this month) are commemorating 100 years of statehood. San Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge turns 75 in May, with a lineup of lectures, performances, exhibits and film screenings plus a revamped visitor plaza that features better trail connections, more seating and improved views.
Off-limits vacation spots
Forbidden fruit to most U.S. tourists since 1961, Cuba reopened for limited “people to people” exchanges last year. But while demand has been strong, it’s still too soon to break out the stogies and mojitos for beach vacations: Visitors must travel as part of a group with a humanitarian/cultural/educational focus, and tight U.S. restrictions have forced some companies to cancel trips.
On the other side of the globe, Japan and Thailand are hoping for a rebound from last year’s earthquakes and flooding — and Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) is shaping up as Asia’s “it” destination for 2012.
Flexing muscles
Google’s flight search engine had its coming-out party last fall. While its features remain more limited than those of competitors such as Kayak and hipmunk (only domestic flights, for starters), “Google has shown it intends to be a market maker. It will continue to evolve and come up with new travel tools in 2012, and a lot of that will be mobile,” says travel analyst Henry Harteveldt at atmosphere research Group.
Facebook, meanwhile, is on track to reach one billion users world wide in early 2012, and hordes of travel-centric Web and mobile apps are trying to leverage that popularity for their own social media purposes.
Same-night bookings
Hoping to target bargainhunting, smartphone-wielding travellers — and tapping into a buy-now trend enabled by better, locationbased technology — more hotels and online agencies are beefing up their tonight only deals. Price line, Orbitz and Hotel Tonight are among those that have launched or broadened same-night offerings recently. And with an average 40 per cent of hotel rooms going empty each night, expect more in 2012.
Vacation rentals
Already popular with DIY travellers looking for lodging bargains and second-home owners trying to recoup some of their real estate losses, vacation rentals will be a bigger focus for such major online agencies as Expedia and Price line, predicts travel technology columnist Denniss chaal. and, in the wake of last summer’s well-publicized tale of a botched San Francisco rental arranged through Airbnb.com, expect a greater emphasis on safeguards for both hosts and guests.
‘Middle seat blues’
In an era of contraction and mergers, empty air plane middle seats “are so last decade,” notes Farecompare.com’s Rick Seaney.
Yet while travellers will likely see fewer flights to smaller cities and an even tighter time frame for nabbing elusive bargain fares, the government wants to help them skip the “sticker shock” of being tantalized by a low price only to discover that extra fees and taxes add 20 per cent or more to the final cost.
A U.S. Transportation Department rule due to take effect Jan. 26 will require airlines to include all government taxes and fees in their advertised fares.
Other provisions, which let passengers hold or cancel reservations within 24 hours and which bar post-purchase price increases, kick in Jan. 24.