Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell, a marketing and public relations agency that focuses on the travel and leisure industries, says it is “cautiously optimistic” about the prospects for the new year, despite a “volatile market.” In its December 2006 eNewsletter, YPB&R predicts:

• Leisure travel–especially family travel–will outpace business travel;
• Travelers will grow increasingly reliant on the Internet for travel planning and booking, and meta search engines, such as kayak.com and qixo.com,” take off; and
• Cruises and spas will continue to grow in popularity.

Read Ten Trends to Watch in 2007 in YPB&R’s [1] December 2006 eNewsletter, and sign up for their e-newsletters. Compare Peter Yesawich’s predictions for 2006 with market realities by reading California Vagabond’s article from April 2006, “[2] California Benefits from Market Trends.”

YPB&R, which bills itself as “the leading sources of insight on consumer behavior,” prepares the annual National Travel Monitor and other publications that track emerging trends in the industry. They also publish a free monthly [3] Market Intelligence eNewsletter.