Winter Vacation Industry Takes A Hit From Delaware Valley's Mild Weather
By Mark Abrams
WYOMISSING, Pa. (CBS) -- The unusually warm winter weather in our region, absent any major snowfalls so far, is apparently impacting the popularity of those getaway trips to warmer spots.
Helene Singer, former president of the American Society of Travel Agents, runs Singer Travel. She says those spur-of-the-moment calls for a flight to where the weather and the water are a lot warmer just aren't coming in as they usually do at this time of year.
"Bookings to the Caribbean are probably flat," she tells KYW Newsradio, "but right now we're being told that a number of the tour operators are coming out with large sales -- 35 to 50 percent off."
Singer says discounts like that could perk up business considerably. She says it's also possible that some potential getaway travelers are being put off by much higher air fares in the new year, especially to the Caribbean.
However, she says, travel to popular resort destinations in Mexico is still fairly strong, as are cruises, many of which are booked months in advance by travelers.
