by Robin Amster
Last updated: 8:00 AM ET, Thu October 19, 2017
Volatile world events haven't kept consumers from traveling.
In fact, 2018 is predicted to be a banner year for travel, according to an Ensemble Travel Group survey.
The 2017 Ensemble Insights Survey, released Tuesday at the consortium's annual international conference in Dallas, is based on input from nearly 2,000 of its member agents in the U.S. and Canada.
Forty-three percent of the respondents said negative events like terrorism, protests and election results have had "little to no change" in their bookings for both this year and 2018.
In addition, 34 percent said their clients were relying more on using a travel professional to book vacations, 32 percent noted an increase in less-known destinations, and 31 percent reported an increase in the purchase of travel insurance.
"These positive survey results tell us that in spite of some very challenging world events-both natural and manmade-most consumers are resolute in carrying through with their travel plans," said Ensemble Vice President of Marketing Carl Schmitt.
"We're particularly encouraged by the metrics that showcase a travel advisor's expertise because this tells us consumers understand a professional's value given our world's ever-changing conditions," Schmitt added.
The survey findings predicted 2018 to be a record year for all travel segments, with 66 percent of respondents expecting bookings to increase compared to an already strong showing for 2017 (when 64 percent anticipated a hike in bookings).
For 2018 versus 2017:
-55 percent of respondents anticipate Europe bookings to increase
-64 percent expect cruise bookings to increase
-59 percent believe river cruise bookings will increase
-70 percent expect land bookings to increase
The premium category for cruises showed the largest anticipated gain in 2018 at 44 percent, followed by 31 percent for luxury and 25 percent for contemporary.
For land travel, FIT's are registering the largest increase at 51 percent followed by groups at 27 percent and escorted tours at 22 percent.
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