Student Bureau: Spring Break travel may be down this year

BOSTON (CNNSB) -- Last year it was impossible to make spring break plans one month before the vacation. Today, college students can not only book a holiday to a warm destination, but they can also get a good deal.

"It was nice that we could find something that was a nice vacation only four weeks before," said Caroline Gould, who booked a package tour to New Orleans for this spring break. " I know people that are still looking for spring break and now we are only two weeks out."

Last September's terrorist attack left spring travel far from the minds of most college students during the months that historically account for 90 percent of spring break bookings, according to Spring Break Travel Inc. of Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

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The resulting drop in spring travel plans has left empty spaces in resorts that are normally booked solid. This translates into last minute travel bargains for the Johnny-come-latelies who would normally be out of luck.

Yet travel agents are optimistic that this spring break season will be a profitable one. They believe that students are affected by the changing world less than other travelers. The Travel Industry Association of America, in Washington D.C., reported that, in a recent survey, 84 percent of the respondents said they felt "safe enough to travel," and only 3 percent had planned to travel during spring break but changed their minds. The survey was conducted by Council Travel, a specialist in student travel products.

Profits have never been a problem for spring break vendors in an industry that has historically seen substantial year-to-year growth. Analysts have predicted a 10 percent drop in spring break travel this year, leading many vendors to slash prices, which attracted budget travelers like students.

"A lot of people are waiting till the last minute to decide whether or not they want to go, due to unrest in the world," said Chris Chappell, a manager of STA travel in Boston. "[But] students are still traveling, they still need to go, they're most likely to go out and seek adventures."

Aixa Diaz and Dan Lombard contributed to this report.

Taka Yokoyama is a graduate student in broadcast and online journalism at Boston University. He is an international student from Japan.

Aixa Diaz is a graduate student in Broadcast Journalism at Boston University. She earned her B.A . in Communication at North Carolina State University.

Dan Lombard is a junior at Boston University. He is majoring in Broadcast Journalism and Political Science.