on my mind � jeff gayduk

“IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID.” No

truer words were ever spoken for any-

one involved in the travel industry as we

grapple with the negative effects of this

nation’s worst recession in decades.

How’s our industry faring? We asked

that question of Leisure Group Travel

readers this past February, with some

surprising results.

What we found was that nearly 70%

of readers anticipate planning an equal

or higher number of group trips this

year as ’08, although nearly the same

percentage anticipates load factors will

be diminished. Motorcoach trips hold

the most promise this year, with three

out of four readers expecting to book as

many or more coach trips this year as

last. International travel is taking the

brunt of the downturn; nearly two-

thirds of planners anticipate their inter-

national group trips to be down this

year due to more travelers staying closer

to home and spending less on travel and

fewer nights on the road. Full results of

this survey are found in this month’s On

The Record column, starting on page 8.

We continue to be impressed with the

number of Leisure Group Travel readers

who have expanded their traditional

business to reach niche and affinity

groups, and this year’s survey indicates

that more readers are exploring nature

& eco-tourism, reunions and family

trips, religious, student & youth travel

and girlfriend getaways & buddy trips.

The future growth in the group travel

business is in the development of niche

and affinity markets where packs of

like-minded people who share a com-

mon bond gather to explore their inter-

est as a travel group. Our agenda here

has been to provide the knowledge base

to help you take that leap, with dedi-

cated columns and special interest sto-

ries in Leisure Group Travel and

LeisureGroupTravel.com. But as these

segments take on an increased impor-

tance in everyone’s business model, our

need for more dedicated coverage of

niche and affinity group travel has led

us in a new business direction.

INTRODUCING INSITE ON…

NICHE MARKET E-MAGAZINES

About half of our readers currently sub-

scribe to InSite on Leisure Group Travel,

our bi-weekly e-newsletter for the group

travel community. We were the first

company to publish an e-newsletter in

this market, and while others have fol-

lowed, InSite still leads by a large mar-

gin in both circulation and quality

editorial. We are creating a series of e-

magazines (e-newsletters on steroids) for

the sports, student, religious and re-

unions marketplaces.

The first of these e-magazines, InSite

on Sports Events, will

debut this spring, fol-

lowed closely by InSite

on Student Travel. The

aim of each monthly e-

magazine is to deliver

timely destination sto-

ries, expert advice from insiders in the

field and special promotions to help

spur your niche market business. We

will be announcing details of each e-

magazine through InSite on Leisure

Group Travel, so if you’re not a sub-

scriber and want to learn more, visit

LeisureGroupTravel.com and sign up

directly from the home page.

I’ve heard a few off-the-cuff remarks

about people “refusing to participate in

this recession.” If your business is un-

fazed by the current economic events,

more power to you! For the rest of us,

this is the optimal time to regroup,

focus on our core business while look-

ing for pockets of opportunity to ex-

pand once a level of normalcy returns.

That refocusing starts now, and we’re

here to help you do that.

Happy Traveling,

Jeff Gayduk, Publisher

jeff@ptmgroups.com

6 April 2009 LeisureGroupTravel.com

Niche and affinity markets signal thewave of the future in group travel.

Still Standing

Despite macro-economic figures thatindicate otherwise, Jeff is approaching2009 with great optimism. Anytime hesees a glass that’s half empty, heswallows the contents, then refills it.

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