NEWTON, Mass., Sept. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor®, the world's largest travel site *, today announced the results of the world's largest accommodation and traveler survey¹ - the TripBarometer by TripAdvisor. The survey reveals the leading travel and hospitality industry trends, according to over 19,000 travelers and over 10,000 accommodation business owners around the world. The study is conducted twice a year, and the results are analyzed independently by research firm Edelman Berland.

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Themes from this season's TripBarometer include:

    --  Travelers vary considerably in their economic outlook, with those from
        emerging markets far more optimistic about the global economy
    --  While U.S. travelers aren't planning to increase travel budgets next
        year, they are planning to travel more frequently and closer to home to
        discover the sights America has to offer
    --  Despite the lack of confidence many travelers feel about the global
        economy, U.S. hoteliers remain confident about future profitability
    --  Travelers are using credit to fund their holidays, particularly in
        emerging markets

"The TripBarometer has revealed useful insights into the travel economy based on varied consumer confidence and industry perspectives," said Brooke Ferencsik, director of communications at TripAdvisor. "While the majority of Americans aren't planning to increase their travel budget, U.S. consumers are committed to taking more trips this year, which is good news for the travel industry."

Travelers Plan to Lower their Budgets

    --  Only one-third of U.S. travelers are optimistic about the economy
    --  Americans are the least likely to spend more on travel in 2014 compared
        to other regions
    --  61 percent of global travelers and 65 percent of U.S. travelers plan to
        spend the same amount or less in 2014
    --  Travelers in emerging markets are the ones who plan to spend more

    Region                          Percentage of respondents who plan
                                    to spend more on travel in 2014
    ------                          ----------------------------------

    Africa                                                           59%

    South America                                                    48%

    Central America                                                  47%

    Middle East                                                      46%

    Asia                                                             42%

    Australasia                                                      38%

    Europe                                                           36%

    North America                                                    35%

    United States                                                    35%
    -------------                                                   ---

Trips are Shorter Yet More Frequent

    --  85 percent of global travelers and 91 percent of U.S. travelers plan to
        travel in their home market in 2013
    --  Compared to 2013, almost one-third of Americans are planning to take
        more trips in 2014:
        --  22 percent of U.S. travelers are planning more short vacations
        --  8 percent of U.S. travelers have plans to take longer vacations

    Reason                      Percentage of respondents giving the reason as to why they
                                plan to travel in their home market this year
    ------                      ----------------------------------------------------------

                               Global                                    U.S.

    Discover their own country                 42%                                        42%

    Visit family                               29%                                        38%

    Save money                                 27%                                        39%
    ----------                                  ---------------------------------------------

Credit is Helping to Fund Travel

    --  Many travelers, including 46 percent of Americans, will fund all or part
        of their vacation with credit
    --  Travelers in emerging markets are more willing to use credit

Sacrifices Help Make Trips Possible

    --  88 percent of American travelers say it's worth making sacrifices to
        make memories

    Factor             Percentage of respondents who will make sacrifices on the following
                       factors in order to save money for travel
    ------             -------------------------------------------------------------------

                      Global                                           U.S.

    Nights out                          51%                                               54%

    Meals out                           43%                                               48%

    Clothes, etc.                       39%                                               42%

    Cigarettes                          31%                                               33%

    Gifts                               28%                                               29%

    Home improvements                   19%                                               23%

    Charity                             16%                                               18%

    Groceries                           13%                                               15%
    ---------                            ----------------------------------------------------

    --  For some travelers, vacations take priority over child-related
        commitments:
        --  7 percent of global travelers and 11 percent in the U.S. cut back on
            child care costs
        --  7 percent of global travelers and 10 percent in the U.S. cut back on
            child-related activities
        --  5 percent of global travelers and 8 percent of U.S. travelers cut
            back on children's education

Hoteliers are Confident About Future Profitability

    --  Four out of five U.S. hoteliers are optimistic about profitability in
        2014
    --  Only one-third of U.S. travelers are optimistic about the economy in
        2014
    --  Hotel industry confidence is highest in the Americas, Asia and Middle
        East

    Region                          Percentage of hoteliers who feel
                                    optimistic about making a
                                    profit in 2014
    ------                         --------------------------------

    Central America                                               79%

    United States                                                 77%

    North America                                                 74%

    Asia                                                          74%

    South America                                                 72%

    Middle East                                                   72%

    Africa                                                        70%

    Australasia                                                   67%

    Europe                                                        56%
    ------                                                       ---

Hoteliers' Optimism is Driving Investment

    --  65 percent of U.S. hoteliers plan to increase room rates in 2013, an
        increase of 16 percent compared to 2012
    --  10 percent of U.S. hoteliers plan to open a new property in 2014, with
        93 percent of those hoteliers planning to open new properties in North
        America
    --  Globally, hoteliers in Asia, Europe and South America are leading the
        way - with 34 percent, 21 percent and 10 percent respectively making
        plans for new development

    Target area              Percentage of hoteliers spending increased revenue on the
                             following target areas
    -----------              ---------------------------------------------------------

                            Global                                    U.S.

    Small scale renovations                47%                                         42%

    Marketing spend                        47%                                         37%

    Staff training                         38%                                         34%

    Large scale renovations                27%                                         26%

    Hiring staff                           22%                                         17%

    Back office                            22%                                         13%
    -----------                             ----------------------------------------------

¹Methodology: The research was commissioned by TripAdvisor and conducted by Edelman Berland, an independent market research firm, conducted via online survey in June and July 2013. Survey respondents were 10,469 accommodation business owners and 19,692 18+ adults who have booked travel online and taken at least one trip in the past year. Respondents were from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Caribbean, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, UK and USA.

About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor(®) is the world's largest travel site*, enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 260 million unique monthly visitors**, and more than 100 million reviews and opinions covering more than 2.7 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 30 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to millions of monthly TripAdvisor visitors.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) manages and operates websites under 20 other travel media brands: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com, www.onetime.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.virtualtourist.com, www.whereivebeen.com, and www.kuxun.cn.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, June 2013

**Source: Google Analytics, worldwide data, July 2013

©2013 TripAdvisor, Inc. All rights reserved.

SOURCE TripAdvisor

SOURCE: TripAdvisor