WASHINGTON, DC — When all the figures are in, the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) is predicting that 2002 will mark the fourth straight year of decline in business travel volume. TIA expects leisure travel to fare much better and predicts an increase in this segment. Although business travel is forecasted to increase slightly in the fourth quarter of 2002, compared to the same period in 2001, business travel volume for full-year 2002 will be 4.3% lower than full-year 2001, according to TIA. TIA predicts that leisure travel volume for 2002 will increase 2% over 2001. Total travel volume— including both business and leisure travel— is forecasted to increase less than 1% for the full-year 2002. The 2002 forecast, originally released last October, is consistent with actual travel performance through the first three quarters of 2002, as measured by TIA’s ongoing monthly TravelScope survey. Through the third quarter of 2002, compared to the first three quarters of 2001, business travel volume declined 6.4% and leisure travel volume increased 1.9%. Through TravelScope, 25,000 U.S. households are surveyed every month about their travel behavior. TIA is the national, non-profit organization representing all components of the $537 billion travel industry.
