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Hotel rates fall and airfares climb

November 19, 2009 | Online Travel

New data from Travelocity show that while airfare is on the rise for the Thanksgiving holiday, hotel rates are falling fast. When compared to five weeks ago, average domestic airfare rose $10 while domestic hotel rates dropped $16 per night on average.

“Airfare fell last year as Thanksgiving approached, but it seems to have returned to a normal pattern of increasing as day of departure nears,” said Genevieve Shaw Brown, senior editor at Travelocity. “On the other hand, hotel rates continue to decline, positioning hotels as the place for real deals this holiday season.”

Looking ahead to the December holidays, Travelocity data shows average domestic airfare for departures December 20, 2009 – January 3, 2010 is $398 (down 7 percent YOY); average international airfare is $793 (down 11 percent YOY). For hotel stays, domestic hotel rates average $172 per night (down 9 percent YOY) and average international hotel rates average $221 (down 8 percent YOY).

“The good news is—prices for Thanksgiving and the December holidays are lower than last year’s prices. Even during the peak holiday travel season, excellent deals continue to be available,” Brown said.

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