TripAdvisor, the consumer review website, has the results of a proprietary survey of 3,000 travelers on travel trends for the coming year.
The survey revealed that “travelers appear to be going lean and green by visiting national parks, hiking, and engaging in adventure activities. A greater amount of Americans said they will be environmentally conscious in their travel decisions in 2009, and more plan to visit eco-friendly hotels in the coming year”.
Some interesting findings outside the green sphere include the fact that “66% of respondents said that they would go to the theater in the coming year as compared to 58 percent last year. Eighty-seven percent
said they will visit an historic site, up from 84 percent in 2008. Thirty-six percent will engage in an educational activity on vacation, up from 34 percent a year ago”.
Another somewhat surprising concern was germs. “Eighty-three percent of U.S. respondents are concerned about germs, bacteria and viruses when traveling. Airplanes are considered the most “germy” by 34 percent of respondents, followed by public transportation, and hotels. Sixty percent of travelers surveyed said they wash and disinfect their hands more often while traveling than they ordinarily do”. That argues for hotels adding an amenity to their current list – a hand sanitizer like Purell.