Economic conditions in November 2016 proved
favorable for the U.S. travel industry, as the number of trips involving hotel
stays and/or flights grew faster year over year than during October, according
to the U.S. Travel Association's November Travel Trends Index. The TTI assigns
a numeric score to each travel segment it measures; any number above 50
indicates expected growth, and any number below indicates a decline. November's
current travel index for the overall U.S. market hit 52.6, up from 50.7 in the
preceding month, and the domestic business travel segment was 51.9, up from
48.4. The six-month leading travel index (December 2016 to May 2017) for the
overall U.S. market is 50.9, and the domestic business travel segment is 50.8. A
solid labor market and improved business investment spending are among the
factors that drove USTA's positive outlook in its November report, which was
released today. However, the Bureau of Labor Statistics' recent December jobs
report detailed weaker-than-expected employment data, which may alter the next
TTI forecast.