HotelTravel.com is ringing in the New Year with an upbeat twist on what the future holds with its second annual list of truly amazing travel predictions for 2011.
According to HotelTravel.com Chief Marketing Officer, Tom Racette, travellers will be looking for light hearted and affordable getaways during 2011.
"The &39;Grinch&39; already tried to steal the joy of travel during 2010. From grim faced TSA employees with latex gloves patting down passengers to paying extra for everything on flights, people yearn to get back to basics and enjoy travelling again.
"Naturally, HotelTravel.com intends to help customers laugh hard in the face of travel adversity by making hotel bookings a breeze. Along the way we also intend to keep lampooning those who try to mitigate the joy of travel, during this holiday season and beyond," Mr Racette added.
So on that note, the entire HotelTravel.com team would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year with its truly amazing list of zany and unbelievable travel predictions for 2011.
TSA Smack Down
Television&39;s hottest new reality show will pit real TSA (America’s Transportation Security Administration) agents versus actual airline passengers in this modern twist on Roman gladiators. Constants on either team are eliminated once they successfully touch, slap, punch or grope the opponent&39;s &39;junk&39; region. Ouch. Fortunately it will be cancelled after one season.
Fly by the Pound Airfares
As airlines continue their efforts to &39;lighten up&39;, they will be forced to calculate fuel loads on tighter margins. Hence airlines will launch &39;Fly by the Pound&39; (or kilo) fares in economy class. Passengers will ‘weigh in&39; with all luggage and carry on items to determine their airfare. This will lead to economy sections full of passengers in swimwear and sandals, with no luggage other than credit cards and passports.
Iraqcations
The Iraqis certainly are a resilient bunch. It has been a while since anyone promoted inbound travel to an active war zone. But the Iraqi government did just that when it sent a tourism delegation to the recent World Travel Market in London last November. &39;Birthplace of Civilization&39; or &39;Hanging Gardens of Babylon&39; tours could become hot sellers (body armour included). If the Iraqis are indeed successful, keep an eye out for &39;Visit Somalia Year 2012
Payotels
Rising hotel operating costs in developed countries will force resorts to charge extra for everything from pillows, bed sheets, slippers, bath robes, soap, shampoo and toilet paper. Get ready to pay through the nose for those little items holiday makers used to steal as vacation souvenirs.
Fuelbys
Airlines will of course screw up the math on weight-based fares (see Fly by the Pound). Expect more flights to make forced landings short of their destination and sit on a roasting (or freezing) tarmac in order to refuel.
Spamcations
No not email, rather the very much maligned luncheon meat &39;Spam&39;. Inspired by a backlash against overpriced, superficial resort cooking classes, travellers will flock to single comfort food tours. A sample menu might include scrambled spam and eggs for breakfast, spamwich for lunch, followed by spam loaf with spam flavoured ice cream for dinner. Of course the Monty Python tune of the same name will provide themed music.
Body Scans on Facebook
It is just a matter of time before someone leaks more TSA body scan images that in turn get posted on Facebook. Or maybe someone tags their best mate&39;s wall with his body scan image. Yuck. It will make one wonder where such a leak could possibly originate from, given how good government agencies are at keeping secrets.
Road Warriors
2011 is set to be the year of the road trip. People want to take simple vacations, and they don’t want the hassles of paying airlines extra for luggage (and everything else), wait in long security queues or be subjected to pat-downs and body scanners.
Bangkok Not Dangerous
Travellers will return to the Thai capital in mass during 2011, as Bangkok hotels continue to offer some of the best deals on the planet. For popular Sukhumvit hotels, log onto HotelTravel.com for the Swiss Park Hotel (from US$ 34 per night), Regency Park Hotel Bangkok(from US$ 43 per night), Imm Fusion Sukhumvit Hotel(from US$ 43 per night), Le Fenix Sukhumvit(from US$ 53 per night) or the Davis Hotel(from US$ 60 per night).***
*** All hotel rates are as of 17 December, 2010, priced in US$ and subject to change.
About HotelTravel.com
HotelTravel.com provides the inside track for the best value online hotel deals. Its brand statement - Real People | Real Service | Real Choice - is the keystone of the company&39;s customer centric business culture and its core value. HotelTravel.com has set the global standard for worldwide hotel bookings since 1999, constantly updating its multi-lingual website published in eight languages: English, Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Korean. Its 24-hour service centre is staffed by highly trained professional native speakers in each language, guaranteeing only the very best customer experience with each hotel booking. HotelTravel.com is proud to remain privately owned and operated, employing over 300 staff in its offices in Thailand, Malaysia and China.
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