Where Have All the Online Travelers Gone?

The number of travelers booking online is down. What's up?

This year US travel sales booked online will reach $105 billion, up 12% from 2007. eMarketer forecasts that US online leisure and unmanaged business travel sales (including airline, hotel, rental car, vacation package, intercity rail and cruise) will reach $105 billion. Furthermore, from 2007 to 2012, sales will increase at an 11.6% average annual rate. Even though online travel sales are growing, fewer travelers are booking their trips online.

"The fact that fewer travelers are booking online is not due to economic concerns-online travel bookers are an affluent demographic-it is caused by frustrations related to the planning and booking capabilities of online travel agencies," says Jeff Grau, senior analyst at eMarketer and author of the new report, US Online Travel: Planning and Booking. "This, in turn, is spurring a renewed appreciation for the expertise and personalized services offered by traditional travel agents." In other words, online travel sites are steering customers back to offline travel agents-a complete turnaround of what has been happening in the category for the last decade. "Not so long ago industry observers cast traditional travel agents as has-beens," says Mr. Grau. "Perhaps this has helped them to focus on what they do best: provide travel expertise and personalized service."

Customer dissatisfaction with online travel agencies (OTAs) stems specifically from unfriendly booking engines and navigation tools. With few points of differentiation, OTAs have a hard time building customer loyalty and have driven travelers right into the open arms of traditional travel agencies-and new online competitors. "Mired in old technology, the OTAs have failed to keep pace with a newer and more innovative breed of travel Websites built around user-generated content," says Mr. Grau. Online travel communities are emerging to carry the torch of innovation. "In addition, a new breed of matchmaking travel sites is bringing traditional travel agency talent online," says Mr. Grau. "Sites like Zicasso and Tripology help travelers to exotic locales find travel agents tailored to their interests and needs."

This article comes from Travel Industry Wirehttp://www.travelindustrywire.com The URL for this story is:http://www.travelindustrywire.com/article34298.html

Jalousie Plantation and Cotton Bay Village, St Lucia

The Piton Mountains, Soufriere, St Lucia

Tommy and I went to St Lucia from July 27 - August 3, 2008. We spent 3 nights at Jalousie Plantation in Soufriere on the Caribbean Sea side followed by 3 more nights in Cotton Bay Village in Castries on the Atlantic side of the island.

Our trip got off to a shaky start. We had to leave very early to be at JFK airport by 7:30 am for our flight. After being delayed for an hour, we were finally ready for take off. Shortly after we took off a fire alarm went off on our plane, in one of the bathrooms. The flight attendant couldn't get the door open and started to panic a bit. The passengers near the bathroom said they could smell something like plastic burning, so we were forced to make an emergency landing in Dulles airport. We were told we would probably wait a short time while they checked the plane and then take off. We got off the plane and waited in the terminal. We ended up waiting four hours before American Airlines' personnel told us we were going to stay overnight. We were put up at a Sheraton for the night and buses picked us up at 4 am for a 6 am flight the next day. When we arrived at the airport the next day we had to wait on line again (40 minutes) to get new boarding passes for the flight. We boarded the plane at 6:15 and sat on the plane until we took off at 7:25 am. Now we're on our way! Without any food for a 4 1/2 hour flight...oh, they forgot to supply the plane with any food, whether free or for purchase.

Jalousie Plantation
Okay, so now for the good part. We took a taxi to the Jalousie Plantation resort which is located on the western side of the island. The ride was about an hour long and it was very scenic. Our check in was easy, we were welcomed with rum punch, then we were driven to our room, which was a mountain view suite.

1. our room 2. plunge pool 3. life-sized chess

We had a king size bed with a canopy, sitting area with sofa and coffee table, large bathroom with a separate dressing area, a porch with lounge chairs, and a private plunge pool.

The room had a tiled floor, fresh flowers which are grown on the property, small fridge, and very nice Neutrogena amenities in the bathroom. Our view was absolutely gorgeous - we looked out to the Caribbean Sea between the two Pitons. We were given a flashlight and a can of bug spray and, because the windows and doors don't make a tight seal, we needed the spray. Unfortunately the room's furnishings are outdated and worn. The property is converting to condo ownership and the area where we stayed has not been updated yet.

To go anywhere on the property, if you are not staying near the beach, you need to call for a ride and a van comes to pick you up. We didn't have to wait long at all for the van to come, although we were told that in season some people have to wait up to 40 minutes for the van to come. The beach was very nice, and there were plenty of lounge chairs and shade. The water was nice and calm, very clean, and there are designated swim, snorkel, and boating areas. There are kayaks and pedal boats to take out, although no mats for use except in the pool, and you can get a free dive lesson if you are on the all inclusive plan. There are water taxis that come to the beach area and some locals trying to sell shirts, etc. One man and his dog, Whitey, made the rounds each day, trying to sell coconuts he picked up from the beach.

1. Bayside Bar & Grill 2. Staff at The Plantation Room 3. Tommy and Me

There are four restaurants on the property. The Bayside Bar and Grill is open for lunch (buffet or off the menu) and dinner on some nights. There was a manager's cocktail party with a guest "meet and greet" on Monday night, followed by a dinner buffet. A big thank you to Sulsa who gave us great service at the Bayside. Tuesday night we had dinner at the Plantation Room an upscale restaurant which had excellent food and service. I need to mention all those we met at the Plantation Room: Charmaine (we are working on sending you the napkin folding book), Arthur (our head waiter), Cynthia, Kyria, Luke, and Wendy. You are all so welcoming and our service was wonderful. We also ate at the Pier which is located on the water and had a Caribbean menu with a beautiful setting. The Verandah Terrace is where you have breakfast and that is set up on the hillside with a nice view of the beach and the Pitons. The all inclusive meal plan includes breakfast, lunch, dinner and afternoon tea with premium brand drinks, wine and sparkling wine by the glass. You can also order food while on the beach. On our last night there, we went to the Bang, which is another restaurant, privately owned, and we saw a show put on by the Jalousie employees.

1. The Verandah 2. View from the Verandah 3. Walking down to the Beach

Up by the Verandah Terrace in the Great House, there is a room with two pool tables and a bar, and outside this room is a ping pong table. This is also where there are two computers available for guests' use, free of charge. There is a life sized chess table outside on the grounds. The spa is nice, could use a bit of a sprucing.

Available on property:
Complmentary Water Sports

• Windsurfing • Sailing • Snorkeling • Kayaking • Hobie Cat
• Watersport Lessons • Pedal Boats

Complimentary Land Sports • Tennis • Archery • Billiards • Beach Volleyball • Table Tennis

PADI Certificated Dive Centre
• Full PADI courses and certification: PADI Open Water, Adventure Dive and Rescue. Includes all equipment, air fills and boat.

Complimentary Fitness Facilities • Weight Training • Multi-System Gym • Cardiovascular Equipment • Yoga & Pilates • Aerobics, Step, Aqua, Stretch and Dance Class

Off Site Activities
Jalousie Signature Tours – with a minimum of 4 adults
Soufriere Market Tour
Volcano & Diamond Falls Tour
Fond Doux Estate Tour
Anse La Raye Experience
Glass Bottom Boat Tour
Grand Bois Waterfall Tour
Cross Country Hike


Cotton Bay Village, Castries
We took a taxi from Jalousie to Cotton Bay Village, which brought us up the remainder of the "west" road to the Northeast tip of the island. Cotton Bay Village is a new ownership property which is also available for rent. Our taxi driver was Kevin, who was Sulsa's brother-in-law. He gave us a narrated tour as we drove along the mountainous road. We were greeted at Cotton Bay by Ginette and Ed. Ginette is the front desk manager and Ed is a butler on staff. I also have to mention Fabian, Sophia (who gave us a tour of the spa), and Aloyshia, our spa massage therapist. Please excuse me if I have misspelled your names!

The check in also went smoothly and the front desk area was beautiful. It is located at the spa and the workout facility is right across the driveway. There is a computer there that is available for a fee. It does amaze me that the computers available at both resorts were in very warm areas. I would be afraid they would overheat.

Our room was a two bedroom apartment with a living room, full kitchen, and two and a half baths. The master bedroom has a king bed and the second bedroom has two twins. The second bedroom is quite a tight fit for the two beds. The bedrooms are air conditioned but the rest of the apartment is not. There are televisions in both bedrooms as well as in the living room. The sliding doors lead out to the covered patio which has a table and chairs and beyond that is another patio area with two lounge chairs. The apartments surround a large pool and there is a bar located at the pool.

outside our room

It was a short walk to the beach and this is where the restaurant is located where you can have breakfast all day, as well as lunch and dinner. Many, many thanks to Sandy, Priscillia, Marge, Agathe, Mark at the bar, and Leroy who served us on the beach. The location of the restaurant right on the beach was perfect - there is such a breeze coming off the Atlantic and the sound of the ocean is so soothing.

We ate dinner one night at Piano, Piano which is an upscale restaurant on property. There is a nice piano bar there where we had a drink before dinner, and the restaurant has a very subdued, welcoming feel to it. Melissa, our waitress in training, did a great job. (I'm sorry - I don't have the other two names written down but there was the woman who was training Melissa and the woman who was in charge whose mother lives in NJ and sister lives in Delaware).

There is a deli and a gift shop near entrance to the resort. You can rent DVD's from the front desk and they will arrange for excursions off the property as well. We had a tour of a villa and townhouse.

Villas: An entrance lobby opens up to a grand sitting area and a teak dinning room with glazed vaulted ceilings. An open terrace, garden with dining gazebo and private pool. Guests who stay in a villa have butler service.

1. private pool 2. Villa living room

Townhouse: These have three bedrooms, kitchen and breakfast bar, a garden with a private pool and a rooftop sun terrace with a Jacuzzi.

1. Rooftop Jacuzzi 2. Private pool
The Casuarina Spa features Elemis spa products (seen on many cruise ships). After seeing what was available as far as spa treatments, Tommy and I each chose to have a Vichy Shower spa treatment. The Vichy Shower is an energizing and relaxing therapy using multi-jet warm and cool water massaging the body while the massage therapist also massages. This improves the blood and lymphatic system and leaves you feeling wonderful!

Land Sports •18-hole championship golf course nearby Beach Volleyball •Beach Horseback Riding

Water Sports • Tornado Kite Surfing and Windsurfing Centre •Swimming •Kayaking

Fitness Activities •Fitness Centre •Tai Chi – One-on-One Classes available •Yoga – One-on-One Classes available

Also available at Cotton Bay Village’s sister resort The Bodyholiday:
Tennis, Scuba Diving, Water-skiing and Sailing.

Some things I would suggest to make a guest's stay more comfortable are:

• a full length mirror in the apartment • an outlet near a mirror for drying your hair •better directions for operating the oven, washer, and safe •a lock with a key that matches the front door for the sliding door to the pool •directions for using the phone for outside lines


• a game room with a pool table, ping pong

We arranged for our taxi driver, Kevin, to pick us up at Cotton Bay to bring us back to the airport. This time we went along the "east" road and that was even more beautiful. We had great views of the Atlantic as well as of the banana plantations. We waited in a crowded airport because one of the planes scheduled to depart had been delayed. And when we got on our America Airlines plane, we taxied and then started to return to the gate because there was a red light that would not go out on the console. The pilot was in touch with Oklahoma City and they were able to fix it. Good thing because the pilot said there were no mechanics on the island and we would have been spending the night. I doubt it would have been back at Cotton Bay!

One thing that concerns me is all the building that is going on. St Lucia exports bananas which is creates income to the country. But the biggest provider of income is tourism. There are so many construction projects going on that I am afraid that it is "too much, too soon". The Four Seasons had a resort planned, but there is a delay in that and the Westin delayed building as well.

Lastly, I was very annoyed with Verizon Wireless. I had called prior to our trip to ask if we would have service and was assured that we would. Well, guess what...it cost me $42 to make a phone call and charge it to my credit card (and I made two calls home). Thanks, Verizon.