Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.travel From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: travel Tue, Mar 31 1992 Date: Tue, 31 Mar 92 05:49:46 EST Message-ID: 03-31 0000 DECISIONLINE: Travel USA TODAY Update March 31, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network TRAVEL IS WORLD'S TOP INDUSTRY: Travel and tourism is the world's biggest industry. But policy and opinion makers in 20 countries surveyed by the World Travel and Tourism Council incorrectly rank it as the world's eighth-largest industry. A council report out Tuesday says travel and tourism generates more than $1.4 trillion a year. That's 6% of the value of all goods and services produced and 12.3% of consumer spending. (For more, see special Council package below.) NEW FAA CHIEF ANNOUNCED: Thomas Richards, a retired Air Force general and member of the presidential commission that investigated the terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, Tuesday will be named chief of the FAA, The Associated Press reported Monday. Richards, 62, retired in 1989. He is a former deputy chief of the U.S. European Command and Air Force Academy commandant. LOOK FOR `EARLY BIRD' DISCOUNTS: Planning ahead can create real benefits for travelers, according to the Spring issue of "Everybody's Money." Knowing well ahead of time where to go and what to do gives travelers "early bird" benefits when making transportation and lodging benefits - and lets travelers write to local tourist boards for information. Booking early secures the bets rooms at hotels and on ships. PLAN AHEAD TO SAVE MONEY: "Most airlines offer the best fares on advance-purchase tickets," says Earlene Causey of the American Society of Travel Agents. That's one reason it helps to plan ahead on vacations. Travel agents can reissue tickets already booked if airfares drop. Just make sure the agent's computer software scans for lower prices. Booking a rental car early secures a guaranteed price. HAWAII OCCUPANCY DROPS: Hotel occupancy in Hawaii dropped to 72% last year, down from 79% in 1990, according to Pannell Kerr Foster. Average rates were about flat, dropping to $101.89 from $102.34. There were fewer visitors to Hawaii as well. The Hawaii visitors Bureau reports a 2.1% drop in 1991. There was a slight increase in Asian guests combined with a 3.2% drop in westbound visitors. HOTEL OFFERS MINI-NEWSPAPER: The Hyatt Regency Maui has begun offering a condensed New York Times in a format called TimesFax for its guests. The paper is received at 5 p.m. local time the day before publication date. Also, the hotel now has a service called Luggage Express that lets guests ship luggage to their home or office to avoid baggage claims. COMPUTERS SHOW N.Y. TRAFFIC: Avis rental locations at La Guardia and Kennedy in New York have traffic terminals linked to New York State's Transportation Department computers, according to the April issue of Frequent Flyer. Renters can check color-coded maps of New York City and Long Island routes on a computer screen to get a picture of how quickly traffic is moving on major roadways. SINGAPORE WANTS N.Y. FLIGHTS: Singapore Airlines hopes to begin three flights per week into New York's Kennedy Airport in April. The flights come in from Frankfurt, Germany. The proposal has not yet received approval from the Department of Transportation. FERRY TO BEGIN AGAIN: The Lake Michigan Carferry, operating between Ludington, Mich., and Manitowoc, Wis., will start up again May 18. The ferry makes the trip in four hours, half the time it takes to drive around lake Michigan between Ludington and Manitowoc. Call 800-841-4243 for information and 616-845-5555 for reservations. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON COUNCIL: POLICYMAKERS `DON'T UNDERSTAND': Figures in a report out Tuesday from the World Travel and Tourism Council show that travel and tourism, the world's largest industry, outranks construction and agriculture, Nos. 2 and 3. But "We don't think policymakers have caught on to the fact it is such an economic driver," says Geoffrey Lipman, the council's president. "The fact is they don't understand it." TRAVEL TAXES BEING DISCUSSED: As the council holds its second annual meeting in Hong Kong Tuesday, members are discussing travel taxes. Increasingly, world governments are trying to close budget gaps by raising taxes on air travel, hotel stays and car rentals. Lipman says governments are "shooting themselves in the foot," that if prices are "pushed too high, travelers will go elsewhere." PROMOTION ON AGENDA: Increased government promotion of tourism is being discussed at the council meeting. President Bush did a commercial for British TV inviting visits to the USA. Australia has a tourism minister. Japan has campaigns to bring more tourists to Japan and encourage travel abroad. Also on the agenda: Faster customs inspection and environmental audits, like financial audits, by travel companies. (End of package.) 24-HOUR TELEPHONE INFORMATION: USA TODAY Weather Hot Line. 95 cents a minute. 1-900-555-5555. Travel Editor: Beth Mann. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM