Face-Off: No Holiday For Travel Books

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, March 1, 2003

For travel magazines, it's been a long road back since September 11, 2001. The books are finally showing consistent ad page gains - Travel Leisure is up 50 percent, Conde Nast Traveler is up 23 percent, and Travel Holiday is up 55 percent through the first quarter of '03. But in these uncertain times, the holiday could end abruptly. "They definitely rebounded and clawed their way back," says Mike McHale, senior vice president, group media director for Optimedia. "But if something else of a catastrophic nature happened, it would be one of the hardest-hit categories." - Susan Thea Posnock

Travel Leisure (American Express Publishing) Ad pages 2002: 1,508.7 (-14%) Through March '03: 355.4 ( 50%)* Total circ: 960,779 (-3.7%) Newsstand: 30,180 ( 8.3%) Subscription: 930,599 (-4%) New advertiser: Mazda

While T L suffered the steepest drops in ad pages and circulation in 2002, it managed to hold on to its No. 1 ranking. To maintain its stature, T L strives to get its fair share of airtime - its editors work the talk show circuit and are regular guests on the "Today" show. T L sets the travel agenda, says publisher Ellen Asmodeo. "We cover it, it becomes the trend, and then everyone else picks it up," she says. These days the magazine is also zeroing in on the circ side of the biz as it looks to derive more revenue from subs. But at $34.80, T L's average sub price is already more than double that of its competitors', notes Asmodeo. Media buyers say the mag gets its edge from its American Express gene. "Knowing how much readers spent on [their AmEx cards] for your airline is a very compelling sales point," says Optimedia's McHale. On the competition: "They consistently talk negatively about us while we still remain and always have been the leader in circulation, ad pages, and editorial." - Ellen Asmodeo

Conde Nast Traveler (Conde Nast) Ad pages 2002: 1,371 (-3%) Through March '03: 315 ( 23%)* Total circ: 780,051 (-2.7%) Newsstand: 36,285 ( 3%) Subscription: 743,766 (-3%) New advertiser: Porsche

The first half of 2002 was tumultuous, but with nine months of consecutive ad-page growth, Traveler has recovered nicely. Touting its five National Magazine Awards, vice president and publisher Lisa Hughes says, "We constantly innovate and the other magazines copy us. We cover subjects no other travel magazine would touch, like safety and security. After 9/11 these are critical issues with any traveler and we've always been out front." Media buyers agree that the mag's "Truth in Travel" tagline separates Traveler from the pack. "[Their writers] pay their own way and don't make themselves known, so you get a more objective and honest overview," says Michael Neiss, EVP/managing media director, Lowe Worldwide. On the competition: "Our competition's editorial direction comes from seeing what is commercially successful with us and then copying it. And that's not how you behave when you're the leader." - Lisa Hughes

Travel Holiday (Hachette Filipacchi) Ad pages 2002: 875 ( 6.36%) Through March '03 (2 issues): 245 ( 55%)* Total circ: 657,883 (flat) Newsstand: 4,700 (-26%) Subscription: 653,183: ( .3%) New advertiser: GMC Trucks

In the post-9/11 world, Travel Holiday has managed better than its larger competitors. Of the trio, it was the only title to post ad page gains in 2002. And while it still ranks a distant third in total ad pages, publisher Jeff Foley says it's gaining - fast. "Our market share consistently keeps going up in the travel category," Foley boasts. "We're the only real travel magazine," he says, adding that just 50 percent of the competition's ad pages come from travel-related advertising while TH's ads are 80 percent endemic. And that focus helped the mag in the 9/11 aftermath. "When budgets are limited, [travel advertisers] have to go with what works, and they're going to run in Travel Holiday," he says. Media buyers say the mag is really a mid- or lower-end buy. Its biggest problem, says McHale, is Hachette's lack of commitment. "They need more resources behind them." On the competition: "We're all about travel. We don't write about what to wear in Milan; we write about what to do and when to go and how to get there." - Jeff Foley

Sources: Ad page counts from Publishers Information Bureau. Circulation data from Audit Bureau of Circulations for the first six months of 2002. *Data supplied from the publisher.