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Dr. Amy Vanderbilt Host & Chief Strategist the TrendPOV Show http://DrAmyVanderbilt.com

Host, Writer, Producer & Director at The Trend POV Show Founder & Chief Strategist at TrendPOV.com Owner at Trend Factor Press

The travel industry is suffering from the economic downturn more than most as families and business alike cut back on what is perceived as the luxury of travel. Overall growth is negative but with some specific areas of surprising growth. In this article we detail the realities of inbound versus outbound travel thus far this year and shed some light on the growth areas where every business can find an advantage.

According to the US Department of Commerce Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, travel inbound to the United States in the first quarter of 2009 from the rest of the world has decreased. Given the current economic crisis, business belt tightening and luxury-driven scrutiny, the industry does not expect to regain this lost ground for at least a year.

The most surprising statistic was that travel out of the United States to the Middle East and Africa has increased more than 33% from last year’s totals. A significant portion of new property development is taking place in the Middle East and Africa. Airlines, at the same time, are increasing service to these regions at attractive prices.

Couple these trends with recently lifted sanctions in the region and you have the makings of a potent emerging business travel market. The hospitality and travel industries are predicting a mini-boom in 2011. If brighter days are expected in coming two years, it can only be due to an expected increase in business travel beginning in early 2010. However, for businesses to increase travel, they will have to stop feeling the economic pinch and return themselves to brighter days of higher revenues.

The advantage for businesses everywhere can be found in tracking the expectations of the travel industry; for they themselves have carefully measured where your business will go, how much success you will encounter, and therefore how much travel you may undertake. So permanently locked together in the dance of success, you can learn a lot by watching the moves they make and where their eyes are looking.

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