IATA announced global passenger traffic results for June showing a modest deceleration in demand growth compared to the previous month. North American airlines experienced a 3% rise in traffic compared with June a year ago, while European carriers saw demand increase 5.6% in June compared with June 2013. IATA Mediaroom
IATA published the 2013 edition of the World Air Transport Statistics (WATS). According to the WATS document:More and more tour operators are incorporating river cruises into their product portfolios, particularly to Europe destinations. To help them stand out from the competition, tour operators also have to add value to their products, with such incentives as shipboard credits and exclusive onboard and onshore experiences. TravelWeekly.com
The industry carried more than 3 billion passengers last year;
Airlines added over 1,100 direct airport-pair services and 600,000 frequencies;
North America (essentially the United States) is the region with the 3rd highest number of passengers carried: 818.9 million, up 0.7% over 2012;
Among European countries, the U.K. is the one with the highest number of passengers carried: 177.9 million;
The price of air travel in real terms fell by 7.4% compared to 2012;
Star Alliance is still the largest airline alliance, followed by SkyTeam and Oneworld. IATA Mediaroom
Tour operators are paying more attention to solo travelers by creating better deals. The hotel, cruise and touring holiday sectors are all tending to remove single supplements. The article lists some solo-friendly operators. Telegraph.co.uk
Travel start-ups such as trivago and Airbnb have raised $3.3 billion in the past three years, according to a study by PhocCusWright. Travelweek.ca
The sharing economy is having its day in the sun. Among the more than 90 peer-to-peer companies studied, there are two dominant vertical categories: lodging and ground transportation.
A third interesting category is in-destination tours and activities, where start-ups such as Vayable and Withlocals are creating marketplaces for local residents to become local guides.
Canadian residents took 2.9 million overnight trips abroad in June, up 0.9% from May and the highest level since record keeping began in 1972, according to Statistics Canada. While overnight travel to overseas countries decreased 0.2% in June, overnight travel by Canadian residents to the United States rose 1.4% compared with May. Travelweek.ca
Visits to the UK by overseas residents continue to rise and are up 8% year to date (January to June), with holiday visits up 12% in the same period. The month of June alone saw a record number of visits from overseas tourists, at 3.18 million, up 10% on June 2013. Gov.uk
