Travel on a Recession Budget

Indoor Ski Resort in Dubai: Can glamorous travel destinations like this attract enough visitors in the midst of a recession economy?

Vegas Travel Deals: The Excalibur is one of the many hotels in Vegas that are offering special budget deals to entice visitors (like this all day, all you can eat buffet).  

It seems counterintuitive that the period of extreme poverty in America also witnessed the rise of mass tourism, which is now so ingrained in our society. Labor unions that were fighting for basic rights, such as fair wages and hours, made the leap to achieving paid vacation time, which was instantly commodified. It is interesting that vacation time itself was seen as a business investment, providing middle class workers with a chance to “reinvigorate their character,” and therefore be more productive when returning. A vacation was a chance to get back in touch with nature, to participate in outdoor activity, and to rest the mind, (and to quell desires to unionize) all of which would ultimately boost American industry.

The advertising strategies used were so successful that still today, travel is seen as an essential element of leisure. Tourism is a major goal of Americans, who see it as all the things that it was advertised as: a chance to escape, a chance to re-connect with nature, a chance to clear the mind, body and soul. It has become such a massive industry now, that many local economies depend on it to survive; it is necessary to support local business as well as international companies. Many cities now have entire areas that seem to exist solely for the sake of attracting tourism; i.e. Times Square in NYC, the Walk of Fame in Hollywood, and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Travelers choose a destination, buy a guide book, and can virtually do anything, anywhere. The industry has grown so huge that in places like Dubai, indoor ski resorts are being built, along with palm tree-shaped islands, and massive theme parks for adults. Even the education system has capitalized on the travel habit, by making study abroad programs so widespread and seem to be an essential part of the college experience, using it as a selling point for applying to certain schools.

Travel has become extremely glamorized and luxurious in this day of age, yet in the midst of the recession, budget travel is the new trend. With so many airlines and travel companies going out of business, and with tourists less pocket money, it has become a challenge to get the best vacation for your buck. Places that usually capitalize on opulent vacations are now trying to appeal to low budget vacationers. I was in Las Vegas recently and was shocked to find that many of the hotels are offering extremely cheap rates to entice visitors. I stayed at the Excalibur for about 30 dollars a night and many of the other resorts had similar strategies: entice tourists with cheap rates and then get them to spend the difference on gambling and food. The surviving airlines are cutting fares as well, trying to get people to buy more plane tickets. Just yesterday, the NY Times published an article about the cheap travel deals that are popping up now to entice tourists: http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/10/18/travel/18pracbargains.html?scp=1&sq...

I wonder if the recession will change the way we travel. Maybe more people will start reverting back to the road trip as a way to see America, rather than spending thousands on cruises and glamorous getaways around the world. As the travel industry continues to lower prices, travel will become a lot more accessible (good news, college students!) and I'm interested to see how it all plays out.