2007 TripAdvisor Travel Trends Survey Reveals "Spas Losing Steam"

TripAdvisor(TM), the largest travel community in the world, announced the results of its annual travel trends survey. The study indicates that spas are losing steam: Fewer travelers (47 percent) intend to visit a spa this year, compared to last year (55 percent).

'Nearly 4,000 travelers have spoken about their vacation plans and preferences for 2007 and perhaps the most intriguing discovery is that adventures in the great outdoors has trumped luxuriating at the spa,' said
Michele Perry, director of communications for TripAdvisor.

Here are some other trends uncovered in the survey:

Pining for Pine Trees: Forty-three percent of travelers are likely to go hiking, up from 24 percent one year ago, and 39 percent intend to partake in adventure activities (such as parasailing and whitewater rafting), up from 29 percent last year. More women than men plan to participate in outdoor activities in 2007 according to the survey.

Germaphobic Guests: Travelers continue to suffer from germaphobia as 24 percent won't leave home without disinfectant/cleaning supplies, shower shoes, their own pillow, their own sheets/pillowcase, or their own towels,
compared to 22 percent, last year. Travelers from the U.S. are more than twice as concerned as travelers from the U.K.

Love is in the Air: Six percent of travelers were asked on a date or started a romantic relationship with a perfect stranger while on a flight, up from four percent last year.

Work-aholism: Sixteen percent of travelers checked their work email or voicemail at least once daily when on their last vacation.

Hotel Kleptomania: Twenty percent of travelers have taken items from a hotel such as towels, bathrobes, decorative pieces, glassware or flatware.

Rapid Relaxation: Twenty percent of travelers said it took them less than one hour to relax on their last vacation. For an additional 35 percent, it took less than a day, and three percent could never relax.

Beach Bound: Fifty-nine percent of travelers are planning a beach vacation this coming year, up from 52 percent when TripAdvisor asked travelers in May.

Breaking the Bank: Although 86 percent of travelers said budget was an important consideration when making vacation plans last year, 46 percent of respondents said they spent beyond their travel budget.

About TripAdvisor LLC
TripAdvisor.comTM is the largest travel community in the world, with more than 5 million unbiased reviews and opinions, covering 220,000+ hotels and attractions. With more than 20 million unique monthly visitors worldwide (source: comScore Media Metrix, July 2006), TripAdvisor(TM)features real advice from real travelers and easy access to major online travel sites, including Expedia.com(R), Orbitz, Hotels.com(R) and American Airlines, for great deals. TripAdvisor(TM), which operates sites in the U.S. (http://www.tripadvisor.com ) and in the U.K.(http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk ) provides travel suppliers a graphical advertising and cost-per-click marketing platform. Winner of dozens of awards, including PC Magazine's Top 100 Web Sites and Forbes Best of the Web, TripAdvisor(TM) is an operating company of Expedia, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXPE).