Lisa Simon is president of the National Tour Association (NTA). The NTA is managed by Host Communication where Ms. Simon also serves as Executive Vice President. She talked with Business Lexington's Tom Martin about trends in the tour and travel industries.
TM: Lisa, as one who has her finger on the pulse of the tour industry, what can you tell us about the latest trends and what's going on?
LS: Well, I think in the travel and tourism industry overall there are several things that have been happening for the last couple of years. The first is that, particularly in the American travel market, people are trying to take quicker trips to get away more often and not just depend on longer vacations. So they are actually taking shorter trips and somewhat closer to home. Ö However, most people are taking a longer trip, at least one longer trip per year, and that's usually to international destinations. Ö Some are going as far as Australia and Asia.
TM: What would you say are the driving factors behind those changes ó in particular, the inclination to stay closer to home?
LS: Well, again, I think the closer to home (aspect) is definitely tied to the shorter trip. It's a quicker getaway, to get away from work and the fast pace and business environment we live in today.
TM: There seems to be a couple of major forces out there that would influence that as well. Of course, the concern about terrorism, mainly, probably has lessened over the years since 9-11, but lately there have been a lot of stories in the news about airline travel in particular being very difficult. Missed flights, missed connections, baggage being lost and that kind of thing ó whether real or perception, is that having an impact, do you think?
LS: It certainly is this year. This summer we've had quite a bit of issues, I guess, with airlines and delays. A lot of it has to do with passport issues and people who are trying to get longer trips or overseas vacations planned, and a lot of the security measures at the airports have actually backed things up and backed systems up. People who also have applied for passports have actually had to wait much longer, which ended up forcing them to cancel their trips.
TM: Are these an outcome of the Western Hemisphere travel initiative?
LS: Yes, it is.
TM: Can you tell us a little bit more about that and how that is impacting the industry?
LS: Well, as I said, this year it has certainly been interesting because of the back log of passport requests. Once that went into effect for the air portion, it actually required people to go out and apply for their passports, and once they had the application in, they had to wait. And the backlog became eight to 12 weeks and sometimes even longer before they were getting their passports. So one of the trends we've seen over the last several years is that people are actually booking later, and they were getting a little too close to their booking date or travel date and they were still waiting on passports. We've been successful through legislation in getting the land and sea portion delayed until 2009, which we think will be really wonderful to allow travel to continue, you know, across borders and overseas without much interruption there.
TM: In the meantime, any advice for people who might be thinking of taking a trip overseas? Plan earlier? Book earlier?
LS: Booking earlier is certainly an option; it allows them to get everything in order before they go. The passport backlog has lessened. It is back now to about 4 to 6 weeks to get your passport. And we have good signs that there are going to be some alternatives being considered through current legislation, that other means of identification will be acceptable down the road.
TM: I'm curious ó how has this affected spontaneity? Is it more difficult now just on the drop of a hat to take a trip to Paris?
LS: I don't think it really has done too much to spontaneity, except, as I said, for this summer when we had the backlogs between waiting eight to 10 to 12 weeks for passports. The rest of the travel services are certainly there. Many, many people have passports, and it has not been an issue for those people.
TM: I want to turn to a completely different subject, and that's your own travel. You have been making quite a few trips internationally recently, and among them was a trip to China, where you made a presentation. Can you first tell us about the presentation itself?
LS: Well, I was invited by the local and regional China government to speak to government and business leaders in Beijing about the American travel market coming into Beijing, particularly as they are gearing up for the 2008 Olympics next year. Travel and tourism was certainly a subject that they were interested in at this year's business forum that they hold each year.
TM: And can you expand on that? What was their interest, and what did you have to tell them?
LS: (They were interested) in preparing for incoming visitors for next year, but also for the American travel market overall, Ö and particularly focused on what they needed to do in their city and their businesses and their services to meet the expectations of the Western traveler. Specifically, they are focused right now on adding greenspace to their cities. And they're also looking at the development of their hotels and other businesses to make sure that they have the needs that Americans are accustomed to ó for example, in the hotels having business centers available and high-speed Internet, particularly high-speed Internet, in the rooms. We've become so use to being connected while we are on the road, whether we are on business or vacation travel. So they're looking at ways their business leaders and their government can support incoming travel to Beijing and China overall.
TM: How did you, Lisa Simon, how did you find Beijing?
LS: I think it's a remarkable city. Beijing is a more traditional city in China. I have been to Shanghai before, and Shanghai is a little bit more the business and financial districts, and a little more Western, if you will. But Beijing is a much more Ö historically cultural city in China. What I found was the people are lovely and there is lots to see and do. There are lots of temples and different historic monuments throughout the city. And right now they are under huge development as they're still preparing for the 2008 Games, so there is a lot of construction going on right now.
TM: You just touched on something that I think a lot of people would like to explore a little bit, and again this is more rooted in perception than perhaps the reality. You mentioned that the people were lovely, and I take it as in response to you as an American. How are you finding your reception out there in the world stage as an American?
LS: I think people are still very welcoming of Americans. I think most places I've been throughout Europe and throughout Asia most recently, people are very welcoming and very friendly. Ö I certainly haven't felt that there's a perception about the individual American. There certainly is a lot of perceptions and negative feelings toward the government and our diplomacy at the moment.
TM: Lisa, you're a Lexingtonian and you've been here and there. You were in the host city for the Olympics; I'm sure it went through your mind as you watched what was going on and discussed these preparations that we have our own version of that, the equine version of an Olympics, coming here in 2010. Any observations that you made there that you may want to share?
LS: Ö Beijing right now is under quite a bit of development and construction, and it was really interesting. What they are focusing on is the amount of visitors that (they) are going to be accepting and welcoming for the Olympics, and they're looking at the hotel space that they have. They're looking at their road infrastructure; they're looking at traffic movements and how they're going to get people from the airport to facilities as well as to the hotels and just general movement. (They are) making sure their city, which is a huge city, can accommodate the amount of people who will be coming in for the Games ó both before, during and frankly after.
TM: Lisa Simon, we really appreciate you taking time for us.
LS: Thank you, Tom. It was a pleasure being here.