Here’s some good news, at least for the high end of Puglia’s tourism industry: Although the U.S economy has tanked, many of the wealthiest American travelers are still planning overseas vacations in 2009. While relatively few Americans now visit Puglia, those who do tend to be among the most affluent and are intrigued by the region’s history, architecture, cultural heritage, and foods and wines. Puglia has much to offer affluent visitors, and focused marketing that is designed to appeal to that segment of the U.S. travel market has the potential to pay off in 2009, if it’s done well and uses the right mix of media. Promoting Puglia’s diversity as a spring and fall leisure destination could be particularly effective. And highlighting the strong “ROI” (return on investment) of a Puglia vacation, compared to trips to other international destinations, contributes to a winning formula.

Here are excerpts from the report, headlined “Bucking the Trend – Affluent Travelers Remain Active Travelers”:

While many U.S. travelers have cut spending and “traded down” to more affordable transportation, lodging and related options in recent months, “affluent travelers” (those with an annual household income in excess of $150,000, the top 8% of U.S. households) appear to be bucking the trend.

According to the just-released Ypartnership 2008 Portrait of Affluent Travelers, fully 97% of these travelers have taken a domestic leisure trip during the previous 12 months (for an average of just under five leisure trips) and a remarkable 41% took at least one trip outside the United States (for an average of just over two such trips).

According to Peter Yesawich, chief executive officer of Ypartnership, “Although affluent travelers have also been adversely affected by the financial turmoil that has emerged in recent months, particularly as it relates to the degradation of the value of their investment portfolios, they remain rather optimistic about their intentions for both leisure and business travel.” As revealed by the survey, 9% (net) of affluent travelers expect to take more leisure trips during the next 12 months than they did during the previous year.

Yesawich concluded, “While affluent travelers intend to spend more on travel services in the year ahead, other insights revealed in the survey suggest they will still demand far more for their travel dollar.”

For further information on the Ypartnership 2008 Portrait of Affluent Travelers, please visit www.ypartnership.com.