Wire Services

When you travel next year, don't be surprised if the experience lightens your wallet a little more than expected. The number of trips that Americans will take in 2008 is expected to increase by 1.6 percent, but the money spent to take a trip will grow by more than three times that amount, according to the latest forecast by the Travel Industry Association.

That's because for the most part, travel is more expensive than it's ever been.

Airplanes and hotels are operating at near capacity, allowing travel providers to raise ticket prices and room rates. The price of gas is going through the roof. And rental car rates reflect rising taxes and the higher cost of buying new cars.

Yet people are still expected to take to the road, although some travel preferences are changing.

Despite the higher prices generally and the increased hassle of flying, "people continue to value their leisure travel," said Suzanne Cooke, TIA's senior vice president of research.

Cooke said that spas, the gaming industry, the cruise industry and sports-related tourism - such as trips related to NASCAR races - are among the leisure travel sectors that are doing well. In contrast, she said, "the trend over the last decade is that national parks are showing stagnant growth (in numbers of visitors). Major historic properties have also had difficulties" attracting more guests.

She added that right after the Sept. 11 attacks, there was more family travel and people were interested in visiting familiar places, but now "people are looking for new destinations. ... More traditional venues are having a hard time maintaining the spotlight."

International travel to the U.S., including visitors from Canada and Mexico, is expected to rise 3.7 percent in 2008 to 55.6 million visitors, following a projected 5.1 percent increase for 2007, the TIA said. However, since 2000, there has been an 11 percent decline overall in overseas visitors to the U.S., the TIA said, despite the fact that the weak dollar makes the U.S. a bargain for foreign visitors.

TIA's forecast also included findings by leisure trend analyst Peter Yesawich, based on a nationwide online consumer survey of 2,296 adults who took at least one overnight trip in the past year.

Yesawich said 78 percent of those surveyed consider themselves to be environmentally conscious, and more than 50 percent said they were more likely to select a travel supplier who "demonstrated a true commitment to environmental responsibility." However, "only 13 percent of travelers would be willing to pay a higher fare or higher rate to a supplier that demonstrated environmental concerns."

Another trend involves business and salespeople using the Internet, videoconferencing and other high-tech communication options as a substitute for the hassles and expense of traveling to meet clients.