Domestic travel to drop 3.5% in 2001

Total domestic travel volume by Americans will decrease 3.5% in 2001 to 962.3 million person-trips, said the Travel Industry Association of America's (TIA) latest forecast. A person-trip is defined as one person on one trip of at least 50 miles one way. Domestic traveler expenditures are expected to decline twice as much in 2001, falling 7% below 2000, for a loss of about $34 billion. Total inbound arrivals for 2001 are projected to decline nearly 13%, for a loss of $9.2 billion in 2001. In total, the TIA forecasts that nearly $43 billion in spending by domestic and international travelers is expected to be lost during 2001. In 2002, total domestic travel volume and expenditures will both show a slight increase from the low level of 2001, but will still remain $27.4 billion below 2000, said the TIA. Mainly due to September 11, the TIA is forecasting a 12% decrease in business travel and a 9% drop in pleasure travel from the fourth quarter of 2000 to 2001. The TIA also reported that about 450,000 jobs directly related to travel and tourism will be lost this year, down 5.6% from 2000.