Holiday Travel: Where the Savings Are -- or Aren't

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - Nov 19, 2013) - Americans are expected to shell out some $72 billion on travel this upcoming holiday season. A new report on travel spending says that expenditure will break down to $14 billion for Thanksgiving and $58 million for Christmas. But are those dollars expected to be spent wisely?

According to the latest issue of Travel-Intel, when to travel and where to travel can make a big difference in what is spent on traveling and what is spent on holiday fun. Some cities are actually less expensive to visit during the holidays. The Travel-Intel article reveals tips and tricks for holiday travel savings this season.

The latest issue of Travel-Intel also looks at how travel companies are returning to Egypt, just in time for the temperate weather and active holiday tourism season. One company in particular, America Israel Travel, has two scheduled departures per month and notes that now is the time to visit Egypt as lines are nearly non-existent at the pyramids, at the tombs and at the famous Egyptian Museum, plus hotels are rolling out the deals and upgrades. Holy Land tours combining Egypt, Israel and Jordan are selling out.

Travelers to the Middle East often stay in Dubai, where several hotels, including the Armani Hotel Dubai and The Address, offer stylish stays in great locations. As part of the Kurtz-Ahlers collection of exclusive hotels, boutique chic in this heady playground for sheikhs can add some magnificence to a vacation or a business stay.

These are just some of the stories in this week's issue of Travel-Intel. The weekly travel industry news channel from Tours.com reaches more than 100,000 sellers of travel in the U.S. and Canada.

The latest issue also includes new studies about global travel trends and what will be influencing travel planning most over the next few years.

Also covered: where to shop in Europe. Trendy outlet malls are cropping up near some of Europe's most iconic cities and delivering great bargains along with destination-focused shopping and touring experiences, all packaged through Chic Outlets.

Finally, Travel-Intel talks to Norwegian Cruise Line executives to find out what's popular and what's next for the "freestyle" cruise line.

The publication dispatches writers to travel conferences and popular travel destinations to bring back the latest intel. Current features and archives can be viewed at www.travel-intel.com.

"Travel is growing at breakneck speed, especially now that anyone with a Smartphone essentially carries the world in his or her pocket. Our job is helping travelers, and those people who market travel to make sense of this fast paced industry and help them make the best decisions," says Lark Gould, content director for Travel-Intel and Tours.com.

As a veteran travel journalist who has been covering the travel industry for more than 20 years, Gould puts her incisive perspective into the weekly publication, with features and news updates, and also "packages" issues that detail great deals to be found at hotels and resort locations worldwide. Travel-Intel can be viewed as a stand-alone site on Tours.com. Gould also serves on the editorial team for travel in the online communities section of the Washington Times, and publishes her columns in Larkslist.

About Tours.com: Tours.com since 1995 -- The Official Directory of Tours & Vacations Worldwide. Tours.com has a deep and searchable database of vacation and tour companies searchable by company name, destination and/or activity. A comprehensive one-stop Travel Resource section, plus the Find a Travel Agent Specialist search allows one to search for travel agents with in-depth knowledge in their chosen specialty.