TIA Report: Taxpayers Set Aside Refunds for Some Leisure Traveling
Local arts organizations will have access to a three-year marketing program focused on expanding audiences and building new sources of revenue.
The program, sponsored and run by American Express Co., will be administered locally through the San Diego Performing Arts League.
The organization’s arts and business office will operate a series of basic workshops, an eight-day “boot camp” on arts marketing to be held in Chicago for selected institutions, and an arts marketing Web site on which to ask questions and share information.
San Diego is one of four cities selected for the program. The others are Cincinnati, Providence-Boston and Tampa-St. Petersburg.
– – –
How The Taxed Relax:
The Travel Industry Association recently reported that one in five U.S. adults who are getting a tax refund this year plan to use at least some of it on leisure travel.
The people most likely to use the refund for travel were ages 18-34 or 55 years and older, according to TIA’s study, which surveyed 1,300 people.
On average, the prospective travelers said they planned to spend about $794 of their refunds on their trips. About two-thirds said they would spend $500 or more, and 22 percent said they would spend $1,000 or more.
Having families and spouses affected the amount the travelers planned to spend. Married travelers and travelers with children under the age of 18 planned to spend more than people who were unmarried or who didn’t have children.
As for those surveyed who aren’t planning to use their refunds for travel, about half were planning to pay off debt. Sixteen percent planned to save the refunds, and 7 percent planned to make home improvements.
Checking In:
The Ocean Villas at La Valencia was recently selected by Conde Nast Traveler magazine’s “hot list” of top new hotels for the year. Other hotels named include Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel. Legoland California recently opened its new 600-capacity, 4,800-square-foot special event venue, called the “Grand Pavilion.” A spokeswoman for the children’s theme park would not disclose how much the new facility cost, nor how much the park plans to generate from it. The San Diego Zoo’s main gift shop recently opened after a redesign. It’s been split in two, a kids store and a more general souvenir shop. No details were released as to how much the renovation cost. Paradise Point Resort & Spa recently brought in Gary Collins as director of sales and marketing. Before Paradise Point, Collins had the same position at the Outrigger Wailea Resort in Maui. He had been there since last May. With Disney’s California Adventure a couple of months old, the Walt Disney Co. has begun the application process for a third theme park in Anaheim. A representative for the park told the Orange County Register that several ideas were being considered, including a water park, but did not give further details. A draft study of the project is expected next month. The Welk Resort in Escondido was ranked No. 1 , part of a three-way tie , in a list of resorts in the March/April issue of TimeSharing Today. The two other top-ranked winners were the Marriott Kauai Beach Club in Hawaii and the Royal Islander in Mexico. The Welk Resort also was named “best resort” in an open-ended survey also operated by TimeSharing Today.
The deadline for the next Tourism & Hospitality column is May 17. Rodrigues can be reached at (858) 277-6359, Ext. 107, or via e-mail at trodrigues@sdbj.com.
