ARUBA in the TOP 10 INTERNATIONAL DESTINATION FOR THE U.S.A.

American Express Travel Poll Reveals New Trends in Holiday Travel This Season

NEW YORK, Nov. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers are bending the rules of traditional holiday travel as American Express Travel agents reveal new and notable trends for the upcoming season. Results from an American ExpressTravel poll of 402 of their agents and representatives show that this year the week between Christmas and New Year's -- not Thanksgiving weekend --will be the most popular time for holiday travel for their customers (according to 67% of agents). In fact, according to agents' rankings, that particular week was significantly more popular than the weeks betweenThanksgiving and Christmas (27%), during Thanksgiving (18%), after the NewYear (8%) and before Thanksgiving (4%). In addition to this shift in travel schedules, more than 50% of agents said that their customers are looking beyond their tried and true holiday destinations, seeking to go somewhere new every year, especially internationally.
Not only are travelers looking to indulge in new travel experiences, they are also treating themselves to an extra special holiday season thisyear with 76% of agents reporting that travelers are booking more luxury vacations this season than ever before. Sixty-eight percent of agents are seeing an increase in five-star hotel bookings and 54% are seeing an increase in first-class and business-class travel bookings. Agents revealed that luxury travel this holiday season has increased the most among couples(48%) and families (48%); followed by mature travelers (31%), and singles(10%).

The poll also revealed that 24% of agents are booking more holiday travel overall this year than last, with the majority (43%) saying that holiday vacation budgets are exceeding $2,000 per person. Agents say that beach/resort, cruise, and ski/mountain vacations top the list as favorite getaways. Fifty-eight percent say that families with children are booking the most holiday travel this year, followed by couples (18%), and relatives traveling together (14%). The top reasons for taking a holiday vacation instead of staying home are that kids are off from school (48%), people areable to take time off (43%), a desire to relax and get away from it all(35%), an interest in experiencing a new culture or country (27%), and thedesire to celebrate the season in a new way (26%).

Top 10 International Destinations
St. Maarten
Montego Bay
San Jose Del Cabo
Paris
Cancun
San Juan
Auckland
Aruba
London
Sydney

Data on 2006 holiday travel trends was collected via an online poll of402 American Express Travel agents and representatives across the U.S. Thepoll was fielded during late October and early November. All statistics reflect the percentages of agents polled.