Caribbean Cruising Rank as Top Destinations!

Hi Everyone,

I received this press release from the Carlson Wagonlit Travel
Associates and thought it would be of interest. For full disclosure
purposes, Lighthouse Travel is a Carlson agency and I have edited out
the "call for action" in the press release. If you would like to see
the unedited version, point your browser to:
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Best regards,
Ray
LIGHTHOUSE TRAVEL
800-719-9917 or 805-566-3905
http://www.lighthousetravel.com


For Second Consecutive Year...Las Vegas, Caribbean Cruising Rank as
Top Destinations: Carlson Wagonlit Travel 2005 Travel Trends Survey

Extremely Strong Demand for Hawaii, Mexico and Cruising of All Kinds
Authoritative Survey of 398 Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associate Agencies
Also Reveals Healthy Bookings, Longer Vacations, More Confidence Among
Consumers

MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 10
Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associates today announced the
much-anticipated results of its 2005 Travel Trends Survey -- the
travel agency powerhouse's most comprehensive survey ever -- which
ranked Las Vegas as the number one domestic destination for the third
consecutive year, while Caribbean cruising was cited as the top
international "destination" for the second year running. The 2005
Travel Trends Survey was conducted December 1-20, 2004 of 398 Carlson
Wagonlit Travel Associates and agents throughout the United States,
roughly equivalent to one response per every two locations.

"Last year's survey was among the first to point toward a dramatically
improved picture for our industry in terms of interest and subsequent
bookings, and this year's results point toward even more stability and
greater interest in traveling, both domestically and abroad," stated
Roger E. Block, CTC, Executive Vice President of the Carlson Wagonlit
Travel Associate Division. "While last year's survey showed 83% of our
respondents saying their bookings for 2004 were even or up over the
same time in the previous year, this year has seen that number
increase significantly to 91%."

Perhaps even more significant, Block said, is the number of Carlson
Wagonlit Travel Associates who are entering 2005 optimistically. "When
we asked them what their personal outlook on their business was for
2005, over 88% characterized themselves as 'fairly optimistic' or
'very optimistic' while nearly 9% more said they were neither
optimistic nor pessimistic. That compares with 85% who told us they
were optimistic in 2004 and 11% who expressed neither optimism nor
pessimism. That's quite a harbinger for success," Block explained.

Top Vacation Destinations: U.S. and International

When asked to forecast the five most popular U.S. destinations for
2004 based on their actual bookings to date, 82% of the respondents
named Las Vegas, securing the city's number-one ranking in the survey
once again this year. Caribbean cruising was the most popular
international destination, named by 83% of the Carlson Wagonlit Travel
Associate experts.

Also noteworthy:
-- Hawaii fares considerably well in the overall rankings of most
popular
domestic destinations, with Maui, Honolulu and Kauai each
landing in
the top ten (at numbers 3,4 and 9, respectively), and a fourth
destination -- Kona -- reaching the top twenty for the first
time, at
number 20. "Hawaii has truly enjoyed a remarkable renaissance
among
our best customers seeking an exotic vacation that also
provides the
peace-of-mind that comes with remaining within the United
States,"
Block noted. "Hawaii now also ranks fifth among the top cruise
destinations that our travel professionals have booked for the
New
Year."

-- Similarly, Mexico dominates the survey results among top
international
destinations, with five vacation options -- Cancun, Riviera
Maya,
Playa del Carmen, Mexico cruises and Cozumel placing in the
top ten
(at numbers 2, 3, 6, 8 and 9 (tie), respectively). While
Puerto
Vallarta drops to number 12, Cabo San Lucas/Los Cabos jumps to
number
13 overall. "Mexico truly has it all, including sunny beaches
with
resorts to match virtually every type of budget," Block
stated. "Plus
the value of the dollar and its close proximity to the U.S.
make for
an easy, international getaway."

-- Washington DC has made a substantial jump from number 18 to
tie with
Fort Lauderdale at number 11; Denali National Park has jumped
from
number 18 to number 14. Los Angeles has dropped out of top ten
to
number 16 on the domestic list (Kauai replaced it).

-- London remains the top European destination, although it slips
a notch
to number 7. Rome jumps into the top ten at number 9, tied
with
Cozumel and Aruba (which makes its debut in the top ten).
Paris slips
a notch to number 15. "The biggest trend in European
vacations comes
in Tuscany, which makes its debut in our top twenty at number
16, tied
with Nassau," Block said. "This confirms the popularity for
Tuscany
that we saw reflected in our fall trends survey. To those who
have
loved this vibrant region of Italy for years, they're no doubt
asking
what took America so long to discover it."


The following lists display the top ten domestic and international
destinations for 2005, compared to the results from the 2004 survey
conducted one year ago.*

Top 10 Domestic Destinations: 2005 Top 10 Domestic Destinations:
2004

1 - Las Vegas, NV 82% 1 - Las Vegas, NV 85%
2 - Orlando, FL 75% 2 - Orlando, FL 77%
3 - Maui, HI 56% 3 - Maui, HI 55%
4 - Honolulu, HI 53% 4 - Honolulu, HI 49%
5 - New York City, NY 33% 5 - Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ 24%
6 - Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ 21% 6 - New York City, NY 23%
7 - Anchorage, AK 16% 7 (tie) - Anchorage, AK 16%
8 - Fort Myers, FL 15% 7 (tie) - Fort Myers, FL 16%
9 - Kauai, HI 14% 9 - San Francisco, CA 14%
10 - San Francisco, CA 13% 10 - Los Angeles, CA 11%


Top 10 International Top 10 International
Destinations: 2005 Destinations: 2004

1 - Caribbean Cruising 83% 1 - Caribbean Cruising
77%
2 - Cancun, Mexico 70% 2 - Cancun, Mexico
71%
3 - Riviera Maya, Mexico 47% 3 - Riviera Maya, Mexico
35%
4 - Jamaica 34% 4 - Punta Cana, D. Republic
35%
5 - Punta Cana, D. Republic 33% 5 - Jamaica
34.5%
6 - Playa del Carmen, Mexico 28% 6 - London, England
28%
7 - London, England 20% 7 - Playa del Carmen, Mexico
27.5%
8 - Mexico Cruising 19% 8 - Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
20%
9 (tie) - Aruba 17% 9 - Mexico Cruising
19%
9 (tie) - Cozumel, Mexico 17% 10 - Cozumel, Mexico
16%
9 (tie) - Rome, Italy 17%



For the first time for 2005, Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associates were
asked to name the top cruise destinations they were already booking
for the New Year. The following lists display the top ten cruise
destinations for 2005:

Top 10 Cruise Destinations: 2005

1 - Caribbean (Western) 39.2%
2 - Alaska 16.3%
3 - Caribbean (Eastern) 14.1%
4 - Caribbean (Southern) 9.5%
5 - Hawaii 4%
5 (tie) - Mexican Riviera 4%
7 - Europe (Mediterranean) 3.8%
8 - Panama Canal 2.3%
9 - Bermuda 1.5%
10 - Europe (Barge) 1%
10 (tie) - South America 1%
10 (tie) - U.S. Riverboat 1%



Business Outlook and Travel Trends

Carlson Wagonlit Travel's 2005 Travel Trends Survey asked respondents
to identify key 2005 travel trends and to forecast their outlook for
business in the year ahead. The results indicate good news for the
travel industry: consumer confidence in traveling further from home,
longer vacations, rebounding international travel, healthy 2005
bookings, and a sizeable include in the amount travelers are spending
per vacation. The results follow, compared when possible to the 2004
survey*:

Comparing 2005 bookings so far to your 2004 bookings at this time
last
year, which is true?
Our 2005 bookings are up: 67.6% (compared to 45% in last
year's
survey)
Our 2005 bookings are even: 23.4% (compared to 38% in last
year's
survey)
Our 2005 bookings are down: 9.1% (compared to 17% in last
year's
survey)

What is your personal outlook on your business for 2005?
Very optimistic: 36.7% (compared to 31% in last
year's
survey)
Fairly optimistic: 51.5% (compared to 54% in last
year's
survey)
Neither optimistic nor
pessimistic: 8.8% (compared to 11% in last
year's
survey)
Fairly pessimistic: 2.8% (compared to 4% in last year's
survey)
Very pessimistic: 0.3% (compared to 1% in last year's
survey)

Regarding 2005 bookings to date, what trends have you noticed?

2005 Survey 2004
Survey*
Average length of vacations booked: 6-7 days: 71.1%
NA
Clients are feeling more confident about
traveling further from home: 60.2%
NA
International travel seems to be on the rebound: 55.9%
54%
Cruising is becoming more popular: 53.1%
66%
Pent-up demand, customers just don't want to wait
any longer: 47.6%
NA
Clients are spending more per vacation: 45.6%
32%
Mexico bookings are up over last year: 39%
58%
Customers more confident about safety: 35.2%
NA
Renewed consumer confidence in economy: 28.6%
NA
Europe bookings are up over last year: 28.5%
21%
Caribbean bookings are up over last year: 25.7%
37%
Customers less concerned about global conflicts: 21%
NA
Average length of vacations booked: 4-5 days: 15.8%
NA
Domestic bookings are up over last year: 12.8%
27%
Average length of vacations booked: 8-10 days: 12.3%
NA
People continue to want to stay close to home: 8.6%
18%
Clients are spending less per vacation: 5.8%
23%

# Survey of 287 Carlson Wagonlit Travel agents taken Oct. 20-Nov. 19,
2003.

Carlson Travel Group, Inc. is a subsidiary of Minneapolis-based
Carlson Companies, Inc. Brands include: Carlson Wagonlit Travel,
Cruise Holidays, Results Travel, Carlson Leisure Travel Services and
Carlson Destination Marketing Services. In 2003, for the seventh
consecutive year, the Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associate program was
named the top travel business franchise by Entrepreneur's Franchise
500®; Franchise Times ranked the program as the 3rd top franchise
overall in 2004 for the fourth year in a row.