Recession good for vacationers?

With the weather growing steadily colder and the snow banks piling up, many Northlanders may be dreaming of a tropical vacation.

However worries about the state of the economy have would be travelers a little nervous.

But according to Divine Destinations owner Jennifer Maki now is the time to book that dream getaway.

“Cruises, if you like to get out and try out your sea legs, they have cruises as low as 49 dollars a person a night, that’s an incredible deal. Prices right now are lower than they were after 9/11 so it’s a great time to get out and travel.”

In fact the travel industry is heading the recession off at the pass.Maki says vacation destinations are actually paying tourists to come visit.

Maki says “The Bahamas has just a great rebate right now they will actually, will give you a 500 dollar thank you for visiting our country essentially travel rebate check upon completing your vacation.”

But are the good deals enough to get American consumers spending their money on vacations?

According to triple A, nearly 64-million people traveled over the Christmas holiday a decline of just over two percent from 2007.

Maki says it’s part of the American culture to take vacations, but she adds that vacations now might not be as long as they once were.

Maki Says “They may be coming down from 7 to 10 day vacations and doing shorter ones 3 to 5 days vacations 2 to 3 times a year versus the big ones.”

Many consumers use the internet to book their vacations, but Maki expects consumers to go back to travel agencies in the New Year, because she believes travelers will want to know they are getting the biggest bang for their buck.

Triple A is also saying this is a good time to travel, with gas prices and hotel rates lower than they have been in years past.